New Life
by ValRocks
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Aly, after mysteriously appearing at Hogwarts, has no memory of her past, only a very confusing present and some hopes for the future. Assigned apprentice to Severus Snape, she will have to go through a lot to figure out whom the was and who she will become.
1. An Odd Awakening

**Hi. This starts in the Triwizard Tournament year. I hope you enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: Only going to say this once. I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to the series, other than this fanfic.**

Every time I can, I will tie a song to the chapter, be it connected or just something I like. Listen if you will.

IAMX- S.H.E.

* * *

You have been left alone  
A creature of innocence  
You lie for what you're worth  
And struggle with your confidence  
And when your devil complains  
And tears you up, to start again  
And when you're lying on your stage  
And nothing works, just living hurts  
Forget, forget  
With the secret harmonic emotion  
And so we meet again  
Two players in a puppet show  
Don't cry for audience  
There's no one that can take you home  
Forget, forget

* * *

The moment that Aly woke up, she felt something was off. The bed underneath her stiff body, the light, even the _air,_ seemed strange.

Somehow, she knew she shouldn't be here. It was like one of those half-intuitive, half-remembered feelings you sometimes got for no real reason.

Not wanting to open her eyes, she stretched her arms out to the sides. Some bed space on either side, then air. And then, on her left, something large, round, knobby and covered in several layers of fabric.

She opened her eyes a bit, at first not understanding. Then, looking higher, past the... knee... she saw a man with long, pitch black hair and perpetually pale skin. Maybe, if she hadn't been so surprised to see him, she would have cursed her sleepy eyes for not letting her get a better look at him before she jerked her hand away and rolled to the other side of the bed... only to land on the floor with an audible thump. Yelping, - that floor's _cold_! - she jumped up.

Blinking a few times, red with embarrassment, Aly looked the man over.

_Wow._ World's largest man-bat hybrid.

Grudgingly, she decided he was okay-looking, what with the piercing black eyes, expressively large nose and a sculpted mouth.

Those eyes met her brown ones for a second, but then both of them looked over to a large doorway in which another, much older man stood, chuckling.

"I see our guest is up. Yes, Severus? I hope you didn't give her too much of a scare." the old man said, walking over and taking a seat on Aly's bed.

"Not in the least." replied the dark-clad bat (Aly couldn't help but think of him as one) in a smooth, velvety voice. Aly frowned- that accent should sound familiar. Someone else spoke exactly like that. Or a bunch of someones. Problem was, she couldn't remember.

That brought her mind to an almost complete stop. Was there _anything_ she could remember?

Gasping, Aly sat down hard, bouncing a little on the bed.

"Are you alright?" asked the old man, concerned. Same accent.

"No." turning, she looked at both of them, eyes huge and scared. "Where am I?"

* * *

Half an hour later, Aly sat in the infirmary, completely dumbfounded.

According to the old man- Professor Dumbledore, as he introduced himself- she was at Hogwarts. A school that specialized in teaching frigging magic. Dumbledore had told her more, but most of it she didn't hear. She was too busy trying to process the first few sentences that had come out of his mouth- "Severus found you on school grounds, unconscious. The house elves and Madam Pomfrey did their best to patch you up- I am told you were quite... ruffled.'

The bat-man just sat there and listened, watching with interest as Aly's pale face changed to various shades of sickly colors and she stuttered, lower lip quivering. _What?_ She figured at least one of the trio was completely loopy, be it her or the two 'Professors'.

Dumbledore continued talking. "Now that your question has been answered to the best of my capability at this moment, would you be so kind as to tell us who you are?"

Aly blinked. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I can't remember."

"Nothing at all?"

"No... well, my name. Aly Parton. I'm sixteen."

Dumbledore sighed. "Perhaps Professor Snape can help you with that, but later. We don't have much time before the students arrive." Seeing Aly's confused look, he smiled. "Yes. The students are coming today. Severus, would you be so kind as to tell her how you found her? I have matters to attend to."

Dumbledore was almost out the door when he turned. "Aly, would you please take a seat tonight, for the time being, with Professor Snape at dinner? Just in case. Ask him about it."

With a stern look at Severus the clearly said _be nice, _Dumbledore dissapeared down the hall.

After a brief silence, Severus spoke. "I happened upon you this morning, unconscious at the top of the Astronomy tower. It was very... surprising." he drawled, face expressionless but for a slight quirk of one eyebrow at the end. Aly grinned. He was, in a way, captivating.

"Do I amuse you, Miss Parton?"

"Slightly."

"How so?"

"Dunno."

"Well then, until you do know, please keep it to yourself."

Aly pouted. Sure, she'd smiled, but he acted as if she'd done something horribly wrong and unacceptable.

"I wasn't laughing at you... um, Professor Snape. I apologize if that was the impression you got."

Snape didn't say anything, and another uneasy pause followed.

"Professor Dumbledore mentioned something about a table?"

Snape huffed. "Indeed. Today happens to be the day that the students arrive."

"Cool, when?"

"That will be in approximateley half an hour."

Looking out of one of the huge windows at a beautiful landscape, cast into high contrast by the sun's setting rays, Aly guessed. "Dinner?"

"A welcoming feast."

At the words "Dinner" and "Feast", Aly's stomach growled loudly.

"Excuse me, Professor."

Snape didn't answer. Just kept looking at her in that unnerving way.

_Guess he isn't much of a conversationalist._

"Miss Parton, if you require to clean up before dinner, I recommend you do it now. The lavatory is that way." He pointed to a door at the far side of the infirmary.

Nodding thanks, Aly wandered over to the door. Now that she thought about it, she didn't even know what she looked like.

Seeing her reflection in a mirror didn't bring any flash of recognition. In fact, she didn't feel anything at all as she studied herself. Brown eyes. Blonde, wavy hair that came down to her chin in a grown-out bob. Round face. Fat lips. A kind of wide-eyed stare, as if she were permanently surprised. Smudged eye makeup, apparently the remains of mascara and some black liner.

She was slightly skinnier than normal, with wide hips and an okay figure, mostly. Tight-fitting jeans and a billowy white peasant blouse. Huge yellow boots.

Washing off the worst of the makeup mess, she studied the numerous tiny veins showing through her skin- under her eyes and eyebrows, along her jawline, spanning across her temples. The paleness was even worse then Snape's, she noted.

Overall, she decided it was a good enough looking face and an okay body. Heading back to Snape, Aly wondered just what kind of rabbit hole she had somehow fallen into. And wether there was someone to guide her out.

* * *

**Yahoo! It's a start, right?**

**-Val**


	2. Apprentice

**Hello to all of you wonderful people who did not abandon me after the first chapter- so glad you're here, and please continue.**

* * *

As Snape led her to the dining hall, Aly looked around with huge eyes. At one point, when a cute boy in a painting waved to her, she jumped away... only to crash into Snape and have him scowl down at her. Again. He was at least a head and a half taller than her, and she found it to be so _demeaning._

"Sorry. But did that painting just _move?!_"

"Yes. Try to refrain, in the future, from overreacting so openly."

"I wasn't overreacting! That painting waved at me! Paintings do not move!"

Snape dust kept walking, cape billowing out behind him, leaving Aly to try and catch up.

She didn't stay quiet for long. "Why can't I just sit with the students? Why the staff table?"

"The students are all divided into four houses. Seating you with any one house would be presumptuous. As for why the staff table... I do not know. Professor Dumbledore often has his own reasons."

"Strange. This whole thing is strange, strange, strange."

"Well noted."

Aly beamed up at him, only to receive another scowl in return.

"Say, Professor, why are you such a happy, optimistic person?"

"You... are too outspoken for your own good."

"I know, and I enjoy it wholly."

Finally, they stopped at a huge oak doorway. Peeking inside, Aly gasped. "It's beautiful!"

"It's a room, Miss Parton. You're overreacting again."

_A room with hundreds of floating candles and awesome tapestries and... is that a coned hat on a stool? Sure, I'm overreacting. Of course._

Walking in between the four oak tables, they came to one that was raised on a platform. Severus took a seat on the far right, motioning to a beautiful chair (which she saw was nothing compared to what some of the other adults were sitting on, specifically Dumbledore's golden throne) on his left for her to sit in.

Taking a seat, Aly received a lot of curious glances from the other adults.

Gulping, she realized just what was happening: she was in a strange school-castle, which apparently was magic, with some strange-looking people in robes staring at her. And she had no memory whatsoever.

"Um, Professor Snape? How far does this magic thing expand?"

"Everywhere."

"Aha. So... you can do magic?"

Snape, looking smug, took out some stick and waved it in the air. The golden plate in front of Aly levitated, then morphed into a perfect gold sphere, and then slowly trickled down to rest on the table, a plate once again.

Aly, mouth hanging open, gingerly reached out and prodded the plate with a spoon. When it stayed a plate, she picked it up and twirled it around. Snape smirked.

"So... awesome..."

She could hear some of the other professors chuckling. One hiccuped, making Aly grin. When Dumbledore's gaze met hers, he gave her a reassuring smile and went back to his conversation with some woman.

Aly smiled faintly. This wasn't so bad.

Where she would go after this? Back to the infirmary? But she wasn't hurt. Student dorms, or wherever they slept? She asked Snape.

"That is for the sorting hat to decide" he replied, nodding toward the worn hat on the stool. "If you have magic in you, it will sort you into a house. If not..."

Aly didn't want to receive another scowl just yet, so she kept quiet about how she felt with basically entrusting her fate to a ratty-looking coned hat.

* * *

"And now, last but not least... Aly Parton."

Her knees turning to jelly, Aly stood. Everyone stared at her as she took a seat on the stool and waited for the hat to be placed on her. When it did she _felt _it trying to look into her mind.

"Ah, and interesting case we've got here... no memories at all? My, my... probably not fit to be in Slytherin... and not quite fitting for Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, either. Gryffindor?"

Some whispers broke out in the room in front of her.

"No, not them either. Never."

Some confused murmuring.

Aly felt the need to ask now, just to be sure. "Am I magical?" she whispered.

"Yes, of course! If you hadn't been, I would not have gone to the trouble of even trying you on."

Aly huffed, indignant that a _hat_ was trying on a person. How was that even slightly within the laws of normality?

"Hmm... let's see. You know, it's been a while since we last had an apprentice."

Behind her, Snape narrowed his eyes, not liking the way this was headed. The students in front of Aly were clearly confused.

"What's an apprentice?" She hissed. Snape hadn't said anything about this!

The hat sounded smug. "That's for your future master to explain."

_Master._ Not misstress. Aly gulped.

"I hereby declare you apprentice to... Severus Snape!"

For a few seconds nobody said anything. Then, behind her, someone clapped. The students picked it up, still clearly confused.

When Aly was seated back in her place, next to the frowning Snape, Dumbledore got up and made a speech, Aly not understanding one word of what he said. Something about a tournament?

"I believe you are all confused by Miss Parton's case. Yes, it has been many years, more than a century, since we had an apprentice. But it has happened. An apprentice is something of a student, with only one teacher. The teacher's job is to prepare them for taking on, later in life, as either a replacement for that teacher or a helper. Of course," he added, as an afterthought. "If they want. If not, they will have the standard seven years of education, but with only one Professor."

More murmurs.

Dumbledore said good night and sent the students to bed. The staff table remained sitting.

Turning, he smiled. "Good night to you as well. Severus, Aly... a word?"

Once the robed figures had all left, murmuring quietly to each other, and the three of them were the only ones left in the enormous room, Dumbledore gestured at the doors. "Walk with me."

They walked.

"Traditionally, Aly would have to have a room adjacent to Professor Snape's"

"But," he continued, cutting off Snape's complaint, "in our times I think it's better that Miss Parton have chambers merely sharing a wall with Severus."

Aly sighed in relief. Mr Sunshine 24/7 would have been a bit much.

* * *

Severus stormed away, having said goodbye to Dumbledore and seen the old man turn off into a separate corridor. Aly jogged to keep up.

He wondered just how much of a mess the Sorting Hat had gotten him into. He didn't _need_ a helper... well, maybe except when it came to grading endless essays, quizzes, and reports. And detention. And... _blah!I was perfectly fine on my own, without some insufferable girl bugging me at every turn._

Dumbledore, somehow, already had Aly's chambers ready. What a joy. He'd been hoping that he'd get at least one final night to himself while she spent it in the Slytherin dormitories.

"So," the girl began in her light voice. "What exactly do you teach?"

"Potions."

Aly sighed. Why did he have to be so... meh. She didn't even know how to describe him.

"What kind of potions?"

"All kinds of potions."

"To do what?"

"Anything."

"Make someone taller?"

"Yes."

"Bigger?"

"Yes."

"Kinder?"

"Occasionally."

"Sick?"

"Yes."

"Healthy?"

"Yes."

"Alive?"

Severus paused. Why would she need that, especially since she couldn't remember anything?

_Stop it. You're being paranoid._

"No."

"No? Awww, bummer." Aly sighed, and in a much quieter voice continued. "What about my memory?"

"What about it?"

"How can I get it back?"

"There are several potions we can try. But not today."

"Tomorrow?"

"Perhaps."

"Please?"

"Perhaps."

Aly sighed, refusing to quiet down despite the professor's attitude.

"So what do I do, tomorrow? Am I your first apprentice? Is it hard? Fun? Interesting? Are you always so grumpy?"

"Maybe if you slowed down I would be able to answer you. You are my first. It's hard._ Fun_, I don't know. Not likely. Interesting. And what ever gave you the impression that I am grumpy?"

"Oh, nothing. Just your definitely oh-so-un-grumpy way of carrying yourself, the 'get it wrong and I kill you' look, maybe some other things..."

Severus scowled down at her, and she grinned.

"You still didn't tell me what I'll do tomorrow."

"I will make several potions for you to try. Although some of them need days, even weeks to make. So not all at once."

"Too bad. Not having my memory sucks. I wonder where I lived? And did I have a boyfriend? And what did my parents look like?"

"Quite obviously, I do not hold the answers to your questions."

"True. So what do these potions taste like?"

Severus groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long year.

* * *

**Yes, I know it's all choppy and just... blah. But still! I spent all of last night trying very hard to make up a good storyline for them to follow and got practically nowhere. But... practically nowhere is still better than nowhere, yes?**

**P.S. I know there was no mention of apprentices whatsoever in the books and movies. (Actually, having not been able to read the books, I'm not sure. But the movies didn't have it.)Anyways. Let's say it's a long-forgotten part of Hogwarts history that the Sorting Hat decided to spring on them.**

**-Val**


	3. The Magic Word

**Here it is.**

* * *

Aly gulped, looking at the murky green vial of memory potion Snape held out to her. Some of the sixth-years in class giggled, noting how Aly's face matched the potion in color perfectly.

"Must I?" It was her first potion, and it didn't look - or smell - very appetizing. A big, green bubble burst at the surface, splattering the thick glass with puke-green droplets.

"Yes. You want your memory back, no? Otherwise, I can just..." Snape walked over to a sink.

"No, no I'll drink it!"

Taking the vial, Aly's hand brushed against Severus's. He looked at her, face emotionless. Aly blushed. Why did it always feel like he was trying to bore a hole in her head whenever their eyes met?

Taking a deep breath, she downed the contents of the vial in one big gulp, instantly regretting it. The liquid slowly oozed down her throat, burning as it went. It was barely warm- but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt like hell.

Dropping the now-empty vial, Aly choked. She could feel the potion coursing through her veins, boiling in her blood. Her heart hammered and exploded in pain when the potion reached it.

Somehow, she ended up on the floor. She could see Snape kneeling over her, wand in hand, as the potion reached her head. She prepared for the excruciating pain to come.

The burning sped on...

And hit a solid wall.

The wall expanded, forcing the potion out, back the way it had come. Once it was gathered in a tight ball in her stomach, it just... disappeared. Aly sighed in relief.

Severus was about to rise when she grabbed his hand, eyes burning with tears that she tried to keep from falling. She was not going to provide the class with any sort of entertainment. "Are you trying to kill me?!" she screeched.

"No. I had no idea of how your body would react to the potion." he replied, frowning, in a perfectly even tone.

"Do you know how much that hurt?" she mumbled, closing her eyes.

"I saw. Would you be so kind as to give me my hand back?"

Aly winced, realizing that she was making a scene. Using Snape's hand for leverage, she got to her feet and let go. Her head spun. Snape turned, glaring at the tittering class. "It slipped my mind to tell you that you are assigned a two page essay for tomorrow on the topic we covered today."

Some groaned. Aly sat on the edge of Snape's desk, still reeling from the effects of the potion.

"Get back to your reading."

Snape turned, looking down his nose at Aly. She gulped. "Why did that happen?"

"An allergy, most likely."

A whistle sounded from where some other potions were brewing. Severus handed Aly another vial, this one a brown-purle that changed shades as she watched.

Feeling herself grow weak in the knees, Aly took deep breaths, nervous, and looked up at the scowling Professor.

Was it just her imagination, or did something in his eyes soften, for just a second?

"Take a seat on the floor, Miss Parton. Just in case."

Aly obliged and squirmed as she brought the vial to her lips.

This time, it didn't burn. It was so cold as to instantly freeze any part of her that it touched. Aly screamed.

In moments, Snape had his wand out and was shielding her body from the potion as it broiled down to nothing inside of her. Aly sat on the floor, shivering violently.

"Um, Professor Snape? Maybe it's better not to try any more potions on her." suggested someone from the class.

"We will stop when I see fit. I believe you are supposed to be reading? Miss Parton, the next one."

The next one was like swallowing acid. Then, glass shards. One refused to enter her mouth at all, much to Aly's relief. She wasn't sure how many potions she could try to take before she was reduced to a whimpering puddle. Snape already had to hold every vial for her, since she dropped any one that was in her hands as she swallowed.

"This is most curious. Miss Parton, that is enough for today. One last potion."

Aly widened her eyes and shook her head, trying to say something. All that came out was a crackly whimper.

"Oh, calm down. It is just for your throat."

Squinting at him, Aly sipped from the glass he held to her lips. Oddly enough, it tasted good. Like chocolaty cough drops.

"I _officially_ hate memory potions." she mumbled, leaning her head against his desk for support.

* * *

According to the other teachers, it was a very strange phenomenon. Aly, having been dragged all over the school by Snape after lessons ended, visiting other teachers to see if they could figure it out, felt like some lab rat. Or maybe a guinea pig. She could proudly say that every one of the school's professors had pointed their wands at her, said something archaic-sounding, and then spent half an hour mumbling to themselves as they looked through books and scrolls for a solution.

Snape was starting to get annoyed. "There is absolutely no reason for this not to work." he drawled as they made their way together to the staff quarters, Aly not daring to leave his side in case she got lost.

"By this time, I will gladly accept that my memory is lost forever and go back to whatever other, normal apprentices do. What _do_ they do?"

"Help their masters."

"So, do you need help?"

"No."

"Then teach me."

At his puzzled look, Aly laughed, the sound echoing through the near-empty corridors eerily.

"I know literally nothing about potions. Or magic. So teach me."

Severus, about to refuse, sighed. Yes, it would mean less time to himself, but something about her was, oddly, making it hard to say no. So few students were eager to know, these days.

"We start right now."

Aly smiled. Maybe he wasn't as horrid as she had started to think he was.

* * *

The next three and a half weeks were very busy, with classes, breakfast, and lunch in the first half of the day (during which Aly ate, took notes or graded quizzes, double-checking every one with an answer sheet) The second half of the day she spent either talking to people in the halls or learning with Snape.

One day, as he graded papers at his desk and she ground worms into a paste, trying hard not to pay attention to the tiny squeals they would occasionally let out, Draco Malfoy came in for detention. Aly frowned. It wasn't that she didn't like him- he disgusted her more than the squealy worms did.

"Draco Malfoy. Get your task from Miss Parton." drawled Snape, not bothering to look up from his work. Aly looked at him, one eyebrow raised. This was new. Mr Sunshine, entrusting a detainee to her?

"Well, hello there. Nothing hard, if you please." said Draco in what he probably thought was a voice that girls would swoon over. Aly wanted very badly to drop the bucket of worms on his head and revel in his squeals as he dashed out of the room.

"Of course, Draco." she said with a charming smile. "Would you please mix these up? Although i do believe we just ran out of gloves. What a pity." she passed the bucket of worms to him. As far as she remembered, he had gotten detention for only half an hour, (after spilling a very nasty potion right on Snape's feet) but it was still enough time for him to get a strong aversion to anything squishy.

Making a face, Draco opened his mouth to start whining. Aly interrupted him with one of her now-famous grins. "Don't worry. I once heard it's a great skin moisturizer."

The fourth-year sputtered. Turned red. And, finally, stormed off with the bucket.

Feeling smug, Aly went to her seat at Snape's desk. After several days of her constantly running from his desk back to wherever she was sitting at the time, he had gotten her a chair and set it up on the right half of the big, wooden table. Well, at first it was a half. Then, after several arguments about how he was constantly inching over onto her part, it had become an agreed-on one third. That worked out better.

Now, she took several of the papers he was grading and got to work, enjoying Draco's occasional mutters of disgust. Hopefully, the Gryffindors would hear of this. They would never let him forget it.

Severus was staring at her again. Lately, it had been happening more and more frequently. Not that she minded, in fact she had grown fond of the man and would occasionally find her eyes drifting to him as he lectured a student, or sat reading a book, or (her ultimate favorite) stormed around a classroom, telling about the subject he was so fond of or lecturing a misbehaving student.

Now, without looking up, she said "Last time I checked, I had no flowers growing on me. Not even a beak or extra limb anywhere. Why are you staring?"

Smiling up at him, she noted that a little color had come to his usually pallid cheeks.

It was quickly gone. He turned to Draco, who had obviously been listening. "I could say the same to our audience. I believe your detention is complete."

Aly got up and took the bucket from him, smiling. "Good night. Sweet dreams."

Glaring at her and then Snape, Draco stormed out.

"What an insufferable, vile, cowardly nitwit." Aly declared.

"And you call _me_ Mr Sunshine."

"Yes. Yes I do. Why were you staring?"

"No reason."

"Oh, really? Last time I checked, you have a 'perfectly good reason for everything you do', Professor."

"Severus."

"Huh?"

"Call me Severus. We spend most of our time together, why bother with the formalities?"

Realizing another possible subtext of what he just said, Severus winced. "You know what I mean."

Aly smirked, then grinned. "Suuure, Pro..." Severus glared at her. "Severus."

Clearing his throat, he looked down at his work. "Miss Parton, bring me another quill."

"And the magic word?"

"Please?"

"Nope."

Severus thought for a moment, then sighed. He was in no mood for this. "I give up."

"Aly."

He looked like he might refuse, but then seemed to give a mental shrug and looked up at her. _"Aly._ Bring me another quill, before tomorrow if you please?"

"Tripping over my own feet to get there, _Severus_. Truly." said Aly, strolling leisurely to the supplies cupboard.

He rolled his eyes, wondering why his apprentice had to be about the most stubborn, sarcastic, and cruelly giddy person in the school.

* * *

**Ta da! Yes? No? Review? Anyone?**

**-Val**


	4. Malfoy's Revenge

**Okay, four down!**

**Someone said ****that it was OOC for Draco to do it himself. Well, think of it this way- he wanted the pleasure to himself. And how the hell do you compare killing your headmaster in cold blood to scratching the back of a girl you despise?**

* * *

Severus lay in bed some days later, the early October cold seeping into his bones.

He felt like a traitor. A traitor to Lily's memory. A traitor to his past. A traitor to himself.

Maybe just being on a first-name basis with... Aly... would have been alright. But the fact that, lately, she was all he could think of was making itself clearer every day.

He wondered, for the hundredth time, why he couldn't take his mind off her. He refused to believe that he had started to care for the girl. Well, he liked her, but no farther than that. Maybe they just needed to sort out her memories, so she could go back to being just an apprentice, and he could resume his old life.

A pesky voice inside him chided that he was being foolish, thinking that her memories were the key, but he pushed it away.

_Sleep, Severus._ He said to himself, not knowing that Aly was doing the same in the next room over.

* * *

_Sleep, Aly._

_No._

_Sleep._

_No._

_Sleeeeeep._

_No._

_Sleep!_

_No._

_Fall asleep already!_

_Severus..._

_Shut up._

_He asked you to call him Severus..._

_Shut. Up._

_...And then called you Aly._

_Shush!_

_No. He's pretty good looking, yes?_

_No! Well... maybe. He does have very good... skin._

_Skin? Really?_

_And eyes._

_Better... and nose?_

_Maybe._

_And he's just sooo tall..._

_Shutupshutupshutup_

_What, can't wait to fall asleep so you can dream of him again?_

_YES! And you're in the way._

_Fine. Sleep, Aly._

* * *

"So. What do you think of the tournament?" Aly asked Severus, walking with him from dinner one night.

"Not much. You?"

"I think I'd enter if I could." she whipped out her wand, making exaggerated motions with it in the air. The wand she'd gotten on her third day there when Severus (after Dumbledore asked him to) took her to Oliwander's via the Floo Network.

Severus looked down his nose at her, frowning. "Why would you? People die in there."

Aly shrugged. "People die everywhere. In classrooms, bathrooms, hallways, dorms, beds, towers, courtyards, dining halls... nothing can be done about it."

After a slight pause, she continued. "So what was that about one of the other school's head-people helping with my memory?"

Severus glared at her. "Don't you ever hear what anyone says to you?"

Aly shrugged. "Sadly, no. And, frankly, I enjoy asking you. If I didn't, our days would be way quieter."

He raised an eyebrow. "How is that bad?"

"In every way possible."

"Back to your question... Olympe Maxime, Headmistress of Beaubaxtons Academy, has vouched to try and help you. I have little knowledge of her methods, other that that they are not potions-"

Aly heaved an over-exaggerated sigh of relief.

"-but it may be something worse."

"Don't scare me, Professor."

"Sev-"

He was cut off when Aly elbowed him in the ribs. Looking behind them, he noticed the famous trio... slipping away into another corridor. Probably up to no good.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Severus. Don't be out too late- you look like death lately."

"Thank you oh-so-much." he smirked. "Good night, Aly."

* * *

Reaching her rooms, Aly unlocked the door and, not bothering with locking it again, plopped onto her couch.

Learning Transfiguration with Severus wasn't just exhausting, it was physically painful from making such strange gestures with her hand all afternoon.

The rooms she got were plain, but still good- a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom. The living room had a fireplace, couch, armchair, desk and bookshelves. Mostly it was still looking like standard staff issue, except for the green rug she had put in front of the fireplace and some of the Potions books that Severus gave to her.

Slowly changing from her robes (very much like Severus's, close fitting, black, and with a cloak.) into a green tank top and black leggings, she lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling, trying not to think about the past she couldn't remember.

The first warning sign was something moving around her wrists and ankles.

The second was the fact that she was, all of a sudden, unable to move and levitating.

And the third was when her door clicked closed, and a disgustingly familiar voice drawled "My, my, just look at that... Miss Sunshine, all tied up!"

Standing in the doorway was none other than Draco Malfoy and his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. The two laughed at Draco's comment idiotically.

"What an amazing phrase, Draco. How many days did it take you to come up with it?"

Draco scowled and waved his wand, making Aly spin in the air. Aly scowled.

"What do you want? Sorry, can't ask Severus to boost your grades. He's out right now. Should I take a message?"

"Oooh,_ Severus."_ Draco waggled his eyebrows at her. "See, I've been wondering... how's that going? Been providing for his urges lately?" He moved his hips suggestively. "He sure does seem a lot happier, these last few weeks."

Aly felt her blood go cold. Was _that_ what people thought? She talked to most of them, and most knew and more or less liked her... but she didn't have any close friends to tell her about what the rumors were saying.

She tried to keep her temper in check. "No, why do you ask? Jealous? Sorry, I didn't know. I'd think your two girlfriends over there were enough."

Crabbe and Goyle's laughing stopped. Draco moved her close, so that the tips of their noses were almost touching.

"Say that again, wench."

"Nah, I'm tired of that one. See, I've been wondering..." she said, mimicking Draco's voice. "Do you always get so close when arguing? If so... I'd hate to see you and your dad going at it."

Draco's eyes narrowed.

"It'd probably look like the two of you were kissing." she whispered.

"That's it, I've had enough!" Draco yelled, moving away. His face was contorted, red and sweaty. "You'll pay for that."

With that, something sharp touched her back. She could feel it pierce the skin, right above the tank top.

Draco smiled cruelly and looked her right in the eye as he started writing a letter in the air, very slowly.

Aly was scared, but not too much- she knew he would tire of it soon, or maybe she could somehow get someone's attention.

The sharp thing slowly tracing a tiny letter didn't hurt so much as it was demeaning. Being completely powerless, to her, was new in this life.

As he continued to write something in the air, Aly strained her ears for any sign of Severus returning. Where was he at a time like this? Finally, after the writing was done and Draco was carefully underlining it, she heard his door creak open. As Aly screamed "Severus!", she cursed herself for almost making Filch oil the hinges on his door.

The lock flicked open of it's own accord, and in stormed Severus. Aly had never been more glad to see him.

"Aly? _Malfoy," _he hissed, the angriest any of the four had ever seen him. "what is going on here?"

Draco's wand clattered to the floor, releasing his levitation spell. Aly bounced in the air, saved by Severus as Draco's spell dissolved. Her wrists and ankles were still tied up as she was gently lowered onto the couch.

As the trio cowered by the desk, Severus quickly untied her. Then, after taking sixty points from Slytherin -which surprised even Aly- and assigning all of the boys detention for the next three months, he sat next to Aly on the couch, unsure of what to say.

Once Draco, Crabbe and Goyle had scuttled out of the room, Aly looked at Snape. The tiny scratches on her back were starting to sting, little drops of blood gathering, but, apparently, he hadn't yet noticed

"What was that?" he asked, face expressionless.

"Draco Malfoy and his girlfriends."

"That much I saw. Why were they here?"

"To get back at me... we aren't exactly best friends."

Cocking an eyebrow, Severus smirked. "Are you hurt...?"his eyes landed on a drop of blood as it traced it's way down her arm. He frowned.

"You're bleeding."

Aly winced. She didn't know what Draco had written, but it couldn't be good.

"Turn around." Severus commanded.

Aly hesitated. "It's nothing."

"I said, turn around, Miss Parton."

Sighing, Aly turned.

Severus growled deep in his throat.

"What does it say?" asked Aly, embarrassed.

"Nothing to concern yourself with."

A cold feeling spread on her back, vibrating slightly. She could feel skin closing up.

"Will it leave a scar?"

"No. If they bother you again, report to me."

As Severus walked out of the door, cape trailing behind him, Aly thought, rebelliously: _Yeah right._

* * *

**-Val**


	5. The Tournament Begins

**Yay, first review! By the way, it's rated M for much later chapters and occasional strong language.**

* * *

"For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and their Headmistress, Madame Maxime." finished Dumbledore the next day at dinner, and just as he did the great doors opened to reveal a troop of tall, beautiful girls and handsome boys. A completely _blue_ troop of tall, pretty-looking kids.

Turning to peek at Severus, Aly noticed that he wasn't focused on them, unlike every male _and _ female student in the Great Hall. Involuntarily, Aly sighed in relief. Something about those girls was off... like a pack of sirens, just waiting to drown some unaware sailor... or, in this case, use one of their tiny feet to grind someone into a pulp.

With an overly feminine sigh here and there, the Beaubaxtons made their way to the front of the room and stood at attention in front of the staff table. Aly, like most other girls in the room, rolled her eyes as the boys cheered and whistled.

Madame Maxime was... big. Or should she say _elongated? _Tall, towering over her students, with a vertically drawn out face. _This_ was supposed to be her salvation?

"I'm doomed." Aly grumbled.

Next to her, Severus smirked. "Be glad she didn't hear that."

"Uh-huh. I'm-"

She was interrupted when the doors burst open again, and in marched several dozen Durmstrang students. Aly, involuntarily, felt her mouth form a slight smile. While most of them stared straight ahead, one seemed to be focusing specifically on her. She didn't even notice the fire-breathing display at the front as she looked at him appraisingly. Tall, with a thick neck and sharp features. Pale blond hair cut short and spiky. Aly blushed and smiled even broader, not hiding that she was looking specifically at him.

Meanwhile, Severus noticed. Glancing back and forth between the two, he frowned and, acting on impulse, used a quick spell to force the boy to look away.

Wincing, the Durmstrang's head moved as if he'd been slapped.

Aly's eyes widened. Looking around, she saw Snape's self-satisfied smirk.

"You?!" she hissed. He stared at her down his nose, as if daring her to argue there and then.

Aly fumed. She _liked _that boy!

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted when a bolt of lightning came down from the ceiling. Gasping, Aly looked up. During her month at Hogwarts, the ceiling had never been so... aggressive. The new D.A.D.A. professor, Mad-Eye Moody, stopped the lightning in it's tracks. She only ever saw him at dinner, and even then not always. From what the students said, he was... strange. Disturbing. Crazy.

Turning her attention back to the Durmstrang boy, Aly watched as he glanced at her, then winced and looked away. And again. On his third wince, Aly tore her eyes away from the confused student to Severus.

"Stop it! What's it to you?"

"Merely concerned for your safety... I'd think, after last night's episode, you would be more cautious."

Aly relaxed, even smiled a little. "I suppose I can't be mad at you now, considering that's the first real sign of affection. _But._ I can take care of myself. Undo the spell."

"And the magic word?"

"Please?"

"No."

Aly grinned. "Severus." she whispered, lest one of the other professors hear her.

"Better."

* * *

Apparently, Madame Maxime's 'methods' were very complex patters made with her wand in the air. And the effect they had on Aly were, to say the least, disastrous. After several unsuccessful tries, Severus decided to interrupt.

"It seems to me that none of these will work. Perhaps you have a different way?" he asked, looking uncomfortable inside the Beaubaxtons' carriage the next day after classes.

"Angelica!" called Maxime in her nasal, strongly accented voice.

'Angelica' came in from the part of the carriage reserved for students and curtsied.

"Will you please bring me that book I gave you earlier, dear?"

"Yes, Madame Maxime."

"If I may ask, what is this book?" asked Severus, his best poker face on.

"Oui, a book of spells. Very powerful."

"Ah."

Aly shuddered. The previous spells had hurt almost as much as Snape's potions.

As with all previous spells, they didn't work. Unlike all previous spells, they made her scream so loud as to bring several Durmstrang students running to help. The carriage door burst open, only to close a second later as Severus scowled at the wide-eyed students.

"P-p-rofessor Snape, maybe this is enough?" whimpered Aly, knees trembling, from her position on the floor.

"Oui, oui. I do not wish to torture you. I will have to think about this."

Clearly dismissed, Severus rose. Aly tried to, only to have her arm give out under her as she used it for support. Severus frowned and, in one swift motion, picked her up and headed for the door. At the entrance, he turned and bowed. "Thank you."

Madame Maxime, eyebrows raised, gave a slight wave. "You are welcome."

Outside in the courtyard, almost everyone turned to stare as Severus carried Aly past them. Noticing the Durmstrang boy from last night, he felt a smug smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Reaching Aly's rooms, he gently put her on the sofa and set some tea on to boil above a small fire in the hearth. Sitting down in the armchair, he looked at her, frowning slightly.

"How do you feel?"

"Like crap."

"Charming."

"I know, right?" Aly murmured, closing her eyes. "What new torture will she come up with now?"

Severus sighed. "They have a special... technique. It's for overcoming one's resistance to certain magic."

"Oh, really.."

"It's in France."

_"What?"_

"It takes quite some time. At the least, several weeks."

"I guess that's not too bad. It's not like I could survive more than a day or two around those 'gentle young ladies'."

"Agreed. If she offers, will you go?"

"It's not like I have much of a choice. I need my past back."

After he didn't say anything, Aly wondered what she might have said wrong. "I mean.. wouldn't you be happy? With me being such an insufferable person and all that?"

"..No. Believe it or not, I've gotten used to your constant pestering."

Aly opened one eye a slit to look at him. "You have?"

"Yes. Don't make me regret saying that."

"Humph. Why don't you like the Durmstrang boy? I'm sure he's nice."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering- why _did_ he mind the boy?

"They're all nice. Then protective. Then demanding. And it won't be a peck on the cheek he's demanding."

Aly huffed in disbelief. "You're protective. Sometimes demanding. And - don't look so surprised - nice. And yet you don't want me even looking at him, more so talking to him. I wonder how much of an explosion you'd cause if him and I started going out."

"Miss Parton, I see you no longer need my assistance."

"Oh, come on!" she protested as he got up and headed for the door. "Avoiding it won't help!"

"Goodbye, Miss Parton. I suggest you get some sleep."

"Severus!"

He closed the door.

_"Thank you!"_ Aly howled, wondering if he could still hear. When no reply came, she moaned and hit her head against a pillow.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." He had finally stanrted to talk to her, really talk to her, without pulling the _Me is rock. Me is heartless._ act. And now, she had ruined it.

Lately, she had occasionally found herself wondering more and more about him. Why was he so introverted? Was he divorced? Married? And, the most common ones- Does he think I'm pretty? Nice? Funny? Annoying? A pain in the ass? Someone he would be glad to get rid of?

Does he ever think of me the way I think of him?

* * *

**Yay! Done)) I know it may seem like it's progressing too fast, but they ****_are_**** spending virtually all their time together. And it's been more than a month.**

**-Val**


	6. Vlad

**WARNING: The dates are horribly wrong in this chappie. So sorry. Anyways, Maxime tortured Aly until late November, but most of this chapter takes place on Halloween (the day that the Tournament wizards, contestants, whatevers were selected)**

* * *

Most of November passed as well as the first task (which Aly slept through), and Madame Maxime finally ran out of spells to torture her with. But several weeks before she did, though, she went from simple ones to complex, powerful workings.

Aly went to her carriage after lessons, spent five minutes trying not to show the pain she was in, and was then carried back to her rooms by Severus only to spend the rest of the day in bed, sick or studying Potions. It left her literally no time to talk to anyone, cutting her encounters with the Durmstrang boy (she still didn't even know his name) to occasional glimpses at dinner -if she wasn't too sick to attend-, until, finally, Severus put an end to it.

"We thank you for all of your hard wok, Madame. But I believe that it is time to stop." he drawled, watching Aly pant in her seat inside the carriage.

"Oui... such a strange case! Professor Snape, I was going to offer earlier: if Aly agrees, would you allow her to come to Beaubaxtons Academy with us, for a few months? It would be an irreplaceable learning experience."

With a nod from Aly, Severus agreed.

"It is dinner time."

And with that, he helped Aly to her feet and they made their way to the door, her leaning on him for support.

"Do you feel up to diner?" he asked, looking straight ahead.

"Sure. Today wasn't so bad. Carry me?"

When he looked at her in disbelief and scowled, Aly laughed.

"You seem to be fine with walking, so... no."

"Too bad. It's just soooo romantic..." Aly sighed and fluttered her eyelashes.

"You have been spending entirely too much time with Madame Maxime. It pains me to think of what you'll be like once you come back from your trip."

"It pains me to think of the torture you'll inflict on the poor Hogwarts students without me here to stop you."

"I'm rather looking forward to that part."

"Sure you are, Professor."

They reached the Great Hall doors, and, as Aly tried not to lose her balance, Severus held them open for her. Most students were already there, anxious to know who would be participating in the Triwizard Tournament.

As Dumbledore caught three slips of paper that burst up with a column of flame from the Goblet, Severus watched with mild curiosity. But after the three students were selected, and Dumbledore started talking again, her master stepped forward cautiously, looking at the goblet.

Catching another slip of paper, Dumbledore read it.

"Harry Potter..." he muttered.

"Harry Potter!"

Harry was thrust forward by Hermione Granger.

Severus looked down his nose at him as he passed. Aly frowned. She had already noticed Snape's dislike for Potter, but only now realized that it might be more than just that.

* * *

Severus had to go to a meeting that evening -concerning Potter, no doubt- and Aly was left to wander the halls on her own. The only students still out were prefects, and those usually didn't talk much to her. After all, she was like a professor. A Slytherin Professor. With Snape as her mentor. Not someone you would expect to be a typical social butterfly.

As she mused about her social position at Hogwarts, she found herself near the Slytherin dormitories. Severus had shown them to her during her first week at Hogwarts, and had said that she was welcome to go in at any time.

_Draco will be there._ A voice whispered at the back of her mind. Severus still refused to tell her what he had written on her back that night, and his spell had left no scars or any other signs that she had ever had something there. _Guess I'll never know._

_Unless I ask him myself._

About to, on a whim, say the password to gain entrance, she was interrupted by a pleasantly accented voice at her back. A mix of British and something outlandish, exotic and hot. Her heart fluttered.

"Hello. I wish I could have talked to you sooner."

Aly turned around to see... _Oh, God. _The Durmstrang boy.

"Oh, um... hi."

He smiled. "Forgive me if I scared you. I did not mean it."

Calming down somewhat, Aly smiled. "None of your fault."

"Good." he nodded. "I hear your name is Aly?"

"Yeah. Where did you hear it?"

"Around. I'm Vlad."

"Nice to meet you. Aren't you supposed to be on the ship, though?"

"Not for a few hours. Our curfew isn't as strict as yours. Are you not supposed to be in the dormitories? It's far past eight."

"Um, no. I'm not exactly a student, so no curfew for me as long as Professor Snape's okay with it. And he doesn't much care."

"Oh, right. I wondered about him and you."

One eyebrow raised, Aly turned towards the stairs. Vlad's face fell.

"Where are you going?"

"This is the entrance to the Slytherin dorms..."

All of her mindset on confronting Draco in the central Slytherin rooms had died and wilted. "I'm not, eh, exactly anxious to meet some of them. You coming?"

"Of course." He caught up to her and offered his arm. Aly fought off the urge to giggle, imagining Severus doing that.

"So." she said.

"What was that... in the carriage... these last few weeks?"

Aly winced. "Unsuccessful attempts to get my stupid memory back."

"It sounded like you were in great pain."

"Um... nothing, really."

"Your Professor must be very strong, carrying you around every day."

Choking, Aly grinned. Wait till Severus heard that! "Well, not _every_day. Just... frequently. My legs weren't working right."

"Are they fine now?"

"More or less."

Without any warning, Vlad swept her off her feet.

"What the-!"

"Forgive me, again." Vlad laughed. "But our teachers are very strict about helping the wounded."

"I think that's supposed to refer to the battlefield, though. But go on, I don't mind." Aly smiled at him and suddenly realized that their faces were mere inches apart.

"Where to?" Vlad asked, stopping at a place where the hall split off in four different directions.

"Staff rooms. Thataway."

"Staff rooms?"

"Uh-huh. I just hope no one sees us. The prefects are probably still out."

"Why do you not want them so see us?"

Aly sighed. "I didn't mean it that way. It would instantly send rumors flying. It's bad enough as it is with everyone talking about me and Professor Snape."

"So that isn't true?"

"Of course not! I mean, he's in his thirties! And a professor, at that!"

Vlad chuckled. "That's not how everyone sees it. You must admit, he acts very... personal towards you."

Involuntarily, she imagined a cartoonish Snape, drooling over her as she sat at a desk, grading papers. Turning beet red, Aly asked "How so?"

"Well, he _has_ been carrying you from that carriage almost every day. And You two spend literally every day together. Like you are joined at the hip."

"Humph. Doesn't mean we're _together._"

* * *

She found she enjoyed Vlad's company. He was very outright in telling her what was on his (and the student body's) minds, but she didn't mind.

It was a welcome change from Severus's respect-me-or-die almost-monologues with her doing most of the talking. And definitely better than talking to the paintings, although she still often found herself stopping by them, telling them about her day and listening to whatever new rumors were going around at the moment.

Upon reaching her rooms, she tried to get Vlad to let her down. He refused.

"I wholly intend to carry you all the way to your bed." Then, after a slight blush "Excuse me. That sounded improper."

Opening the door to her rooms, Aly pointed the way to the bedroom and, thinking _Oh, what the heck., _let Vlad put her on the bed.

"Good night, Aly. I hope to see you again. The sooner, the better." Vlad bowed out of the room. She waited to hear the click of her front door before letting out a sigh. Being with Vlad was fine, but she still found herself flashing back to all of those times Severus had carried her to her rooms, the gesture so much like Vlad's, and yet it made all the difference.

* * *

**Done. Oh, and- YAHOO second review! Even if it's by the same person, still!**

**-Val**


	7. Dancing Lessons And Complications

**Hello.**

**This is late november. (story-wise)**

* * *

Less than a minute after Vlad left, someone knocked on her door.

"It's open!" she shouted, too lazy to get off the bed. Although the day had been relatively easy, with Severus cutting the useless spells off early, her muscles ached and her head felt fuzzy.

Aly wasn't exactly surprised to see that it was he who opened the door to her bedroom. What with her horrid luck and all.

"Oh, hi. Um... do you need something?" she asked, sitting up cross-legged. Her bedroom was small, with most of the space taken up by a huge bed. A dresser stood in a corner, and a tiny round table with two chairs next to it by a huge window looking out on the Black Lake.

"Not quite. I met Vlad on his way out."

"Bugger."

At his raised eyebrows, Aly started babbling. "Oh, it was nothing, he just carried me here after meeting me by the Slytherin dormitories and we talked and nothing more, really. He said you must be pretty strong to carry me around every day. You are strong, now that I think about it. And-"

Telling herself to shut up, Aly hung her head. "Nothing big."

"Are you done?"

She nodded, still examining her feet.

"Although I do not plan on making you stay away from him... like I said before, it won't end well."

Aly stayed quiet.

"And, although it has not yet been announced, the Yule Ball preparations are nearing."

"Ball?"

"A Triwizard Tournament tradition."

"I'm still with you."

"Next week, there will be a dancing lesson."

"Uh-huh." Where was he heading with this?

"I offered to demonstrate."

"And how do I come into the picture?"

"You demonstrate with me."

Aly looked at him like _You're kidding, right? _"But I don't even know how to dance!"

"There is plenty of time for me to teach you."

Aly felt butterflies start in her stomach.

_Don't get your hopes up. It's just a demonstration._

_Doesn't mean I can't enjoy it._

* * *

"One, two three, one two three." Snape dictated the day before the first task of the tournament. Aly's head spun as he twirled her around her couch, impersonal as ever. It almost felt like torture- being this close to him, her hand dwarfed by his, a warm arm around her waist - and still have him treat it like a task he didn't much care for. He wouldn't even look at her!

Despite that, she was, after many hours of practice, almost as good a dancer as him. Almost.

"Mr Sunshine, why are you so happy? If I didn't know better, I'd swear you just ate a lemon. Or five."

Severus stared at her, not sure of what to say. Scowling, he looked away, trying to ignore the way she moved in his arms, nearly perfect steps matching his to a fraction of an inch.

"I wish you would stop with the horrible nickname. Someday, I'll hex it."

"Someday, maybe. But for now..." she laughed as they made another turn, leaning away from him, eyes shining. Severus gulped. He had no idea why being so clase to Aly was so uncomfortable. Torturous, even. After all, she was just a teenage apprentice!

He glanced at her, and instantly felt something rising up in him... something he had refused to feel ever since Lily died. Even then, the love he felt for her had proven deadly in every way possible. It was a costly lesson, but one that he had stuck to for every day of his life since then.

Until these last few weeks, when he, Severus Snape, had allowed himself to grow fond of a girl. And some part of him suspected that it was growing to be more than merely fondness.

_I have to stop this. Emotion is weakness. Weakness is, in time, a weapon that can be used against you._

_I have to stop this._

* * *

"We're finished." he said, not looking her in the eyes. Letting go of her hand, he quickly turned, cape flaring, and walked out the door.

As if he couldn't wait to get away from her, now that they were done. Aly felt her eyes brim with tears at his sudden departure. Holding her hand to her nose, she breathed in the already fading scent of him... old books, ink, potions ingredients and soap.

Sitting in her armchair, Aly hugged her knees, wanting to scream that this was too hard for her. Was she really that disgusting to him, that he would want to leave so soon, without even saying anything?

A small sob escaped her. And another one. A few more seconds, and the tears that she had been holding in burst forth.

He was by far the most important person in her life. To have him push her away was just too much. Why did he invite her to demonstrate then, if he wanted nothing to do with her?

_This is so complicated._

* * *

**Yes, I know, shortest chapter ever. But I intend it as an in-between. That, and I have to do homework, because break ends soon and I have 3 pages of text to learn. In one day! AAAAAH! *runs in circles screaming, stubs toe, curses all non-magical teachers and goes to get an ice pack***

**-Val**


	8. Coming Clean

**December 10th.**

**Skillet- Open Wounds**

* * *

In the dark with the music on  
Wishing I was somewhere else  
Taking all your anger out on me, beyond my help  
I would rather rot alone  
Then spend a minute with you  
I'm gone, I'm gone

Downstairs the enemy sleeps  
Leaving the TV on  
Watching all the dreams we had turn into static  
Doesn't matter what I do  
Nothing's gonna change  
I'm never good enough

Tell me why- you broke me down, and betrayed my trust in you  
I'm not giving up, giving in, when will this war end?  
When will it end?

And you can't stop me from falling apart  
'Cause my self-destruction is all your fault

How could you, how could you, how could you hate me?  
When all I ever wanted to be was you?  
How could you, how could you, how could you love me?  
When all you ever gave me were open wounds?

* * *

In the next month, Severus tried to distance himself from Aly, something she tried to ignore, only to burst into tears the second she got back to her rooms from their after-class lessons in potions and transfiguration.

The day of the dancing lesson, Aly stood in her bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. What was it about her that made Severus push her away so hurtfully?

She decided to blame her stupid, annoying personality. He had always called her insufferable, after all.

If she changed, would things get better?

They had to.

Aly tried to imagine what he would like. She already dressed exactly like him. But the facial expressions... they had to go. Smiling at herself sadly one last time, Aly tried to form a formidable scowl.

Once she had the scowl down perfectly, she tried the frown. Better already.

Manner of speech... that would take some work.

A loud knock at her door made her jump. Severus._ Shit._

She was positive that her heart could be heard as, after taking a deep breath, Aly opened the door and scowled up at him. He was doing the exact same thing. The old Aly would have cracked up and gone on for the better part of an hour about it. The new one just stayed quiet.

"We should get going. Are you ready?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yes."

As they walked down the hall, Aly tried to ignore the urge to _talk, talk, talk_. Details, facts, news, embellishments and bold statements would _not _be coming out of her mouth. Not with him there. This was the first time in more than a week that they had been together, without the Porfessor rushing off to attend to some half-made-up business. Aly scowled. The expression felt unfamiliar on her face.

Severus walked briskly, wondering what was wrong with her. They hadn't talked about anything other than lessons since he had decided to stay away from her at that last dance session. Was someone bothering her? His mind flashed back to the sad scene of Draco and his friends torturing her in her own room.

Maybe it was Vlad. His throat clenched in distaste at the thought of the boy. He had seen Vlad and Aly together on numerous occasions, sometimes with other students from all three schools.

_Whoever it is, I'll find out. And I'll make sure they never hurt her again._

* * *

As crackly music filled the room, Severus took Aly's hand and led her out to the centre of the floor. Aly thought she would cry right then and there- it was the first time they had touched since that last dance, and she hadn't realized how much she missed it. Their bodies instantly got caught up in the waltz and, as the Hogwarts students watched, Severus led her through the familiar steps. Aly clutched his hand with all her strength as a tiny tear squeezed its way out of the corner of one eye.

Severus looked at her, wondering why she seemed determined to break every bone in his hand, and felt his heart skip a beat. She was crying.

_His_ Aly. He wasn't sure when he had come to think of her as his, but at some point it had happened. As another tear traced a track down her cheek, he pulled her closer, so that only an inch or two was between them.

The music was loud enough to hide his voice from the students. "Aly?"

For a second, black eyes met brown, but then Aly looked away.

The song ended. They reluctantly pulled apart, although he refused to let go of her hand.

"Thank you, Professor Snape, Miss Parton. See, students? That is how you will have to dance..." Minerva continued to talk as Severus gently pulled Aly out of the room. Ducking into an alcove, he looked down at her, concerned.

"Aly. Aly, what's wrong?"

She just shook her head, pressing back against the wall, as if to get away from him.

He moved closer, just a few inches. "Tell me. Who is the cause of this?"

Aly looked like she might not answer, but then looked him in the eye and said the two words he was not, by any means, expecting to hear.

"You are."

Severus stared at her, dumbfounded. Him?

"Yes, you. Do you know what I did every night these last few days? I cried. For hours. Why? Because you, the one person that I think of as _mine_, ignored me completely. Remember that time I spilled boiling water all over myself and had to spend the night in the infirmary? You didn't even blink. Just told me to go take care of it and went back to grading your stupid papers. That hurt."

He wanted to tell her to stop. That it had hurt him, too. More than he would have thought reasonable.

"Or that time Draco tripped me three times in class. You pretended not to notice. That hurt too. It was embarrassing."

_Stop._

"Or that time I slipped on the stairs. You just stepped out of the way as I fell. I trusted you. I expected you to catch me." Aly stared him right in the eyes, tears now flowing freely down her face. Her beautiful face. "You didn't catch me, Severus."

There. She had finally come clean to him. Now, a new fear made itself apparent as he just looked down his nose at her, face blank. If he ignored her now, she was sure that her heart would shatter.

She didn't know what he was to her- a father? No, never. Friend? Not quite. The way that he stood now, almost touching her, was much too personal.

"Aly." his voice sounded rough, unlike his usual velvety, slightly nasal tone. He lifted a hand, hesitant, and wiped away any traces of tears that still remained.

She just looked at him as he cupped her face, lips parted slightly. A hand made it's way slowly around her waist, pulling her away from the wall and closer to him. "I'm so sorry." he whispered as he leaned down and brushed his lips gently against hers.

* * *

**-Val**

**P.S. STILL waiting for reviews!**


	9. Aftermath

**Blaaaa bla bla chapter nine**

* * *

_Whoa._ The one place Aly hadn't expected to end up that day was kissing her Potions professor in an alcove.

This was at odds with everything. Never mind the age gap, she had been convinced that he hated her. And now he stared at her, hand still cupping her face, as she stared right back at him.

"Why did you ignore me?" she whispered, not looking away.

"I-" he faltered. "I wanted to protect you. Me. Us."

"I don't need protection, Severus! I need you!"

"I'm here now."

"Yeah, and how long will it be till you decide we need protection again?"

"Never." he tightened his arm around her waist. "Never again."

* * *

They walked back to their rooms in near-silencce, not touching. Finally, Aly couldn't stand it any longer:

"You know, I was going to try and act like you. In case you were ignoring me because I'm oh-so-insufferable."

"You are such a child. I like you the way you are."

"Yahoo! I was starting to think I'd blow up. Do you know how hard it is not to talk or smile or laugh for a whole hour?" Aly paused. "Wait. You do know. You do it all the time!" Aly stared at him as if wondering how he managed it.

"And do you know how hard it is to have to face your constant babbling again? I shall miss those days of peace and quiet."

"Hmm. Yes you shall. So, when's the next task in the Tournament?"

"In a while. Does it matter?"

"Yes. Do you know what it is that thy will have to do? Is it hard?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me?"

"No."

"Aww come on! It's not like I'll tell anybody! What's in those eggs they got? Please? Please, tell me?"

"I would have thought it would take you longer to mull over recent events before you started talking."

"Nah. What's there to mull over? You ignored me. I hated it. We danced. I cried. You asked why. I told you. You apologized. And then you kissed me. The only part I don't understand in the least is the kiss. But I suppose if I bug you now, you'll just avoid it. But!"

Severus wanted to groan, knowing what was coming.

"I can try! Why did you kiss me?"

He didn't know. It had seemed like the only thing he wanted right then, so natural... so he hadn't thought, he had just done it. "No idea."

He hoped she didn't think of him as some... predator. He felt a knot in his stomach tighten.

"Well. I liked it." Aly muttered, peeking up at him from underneath her eyelashes.

What? He was instantly overcome with a multitude of emotions. A deep guilt, over Lily. Joy, or something very much like it. Sadness because of their age gap.

And, above it all, the sudden realization that he was falling for a student.

* * *

Aly's mind was officially at war with itself. Some part of it wanted her to shout about how freakishly complicated things were going to be. Another wanted to run and hide under a rock, avoid the possible heartbreak that might happen if she allowed herself to swoon over him. Another wanted to whoop "He kissed me!" and do cartwheels all the way back to her rooms. She was torn between all three.

"Do you regret it?" he asked suddenly.

"No. You?"

As the silence stretched, Aly closed her eyes and crossed her fingers.

"...No..."

Before she could grin, he continued. "This is to stay strictly between us, understand?"

"Duh."

"Good. I do not know where this will lead. Do not get ahead of yourself."

Aly sighed. "Yes, Mr Sunshine."

"And stop calling me that."

"No, Mr Sunshine."

Severus scowled and rolled his eyes. "And what of Vlad?"

"He's nice."

"And?"

"And... and what? We aren't, well, together, if that's what you're getting at. Although I think that's what he wants. He's nice and all, but not..."

"Not?"

"Not you."

* * *

Vlad leaded against a wall, invisible. What did Snape not regret? What was it that he wanted to stay strictly between them? And why would she choose Snape, of all people, over him?

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, he wondered wether he should follow them. Find out more. The suspense was killing him. As Aly and the old bat who seemed to get in between them every time Vlad made some progress moved on down the empty hallway, the light of the dying sun casting long shadows on the walls, he shook his head. Aly would never know, but still, he would feel guilty afterward.

As the two disappeared down a different hall, he flicked his wand and was instantly visible. A quiet gasp came from somewhere nearby.

Spinning around to face the noise, the shadow of a statue moved slightly. Vlad showed no sign of having noticed as he walked past, only to spin around and grab the air. His hands met cloth and someone's face.

His captive struggled, and then became visible. Hermione Granger, the brainiac that Victor hadn't shut up about since the two first met.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, letting her go. She blushed, eyes darting around. "I-i-I'm..."

Vlad raised one eyebrow.

"Doing research. On invisibility spells."

Vlad kept his eyebrow raised.

"What business of yours is it, anyways?" she said suddenly.

He wondered if she meant Aly and Snape or her obviously made-up excuse.

"Aly is a friend of mine." he said cautiously, hoping to get more information before he told her any more.

"Really. You look a bit jealous."

"You look a bit guilty." he retorted.

"Doesn't matter. Pretty odd couple, no?"

Vlad's blood froze. _Couple?_

* * *

**Cliffhang! Sorta!**

**Privet to all of you nice people who still reead this (privet=hi in russian=my first language. And country of origin. I shudder to think what the movie people would have made us poor russians look like, had they the chance to make a russian wizarding school *shudders*).**


	10. Close Call

**Hi. Chapter 10, booyah! Oh, and, we're up to 300 visitors. If that is so, why the hell did only 2 people review? HUH? 0_o**

* * *

Evanescence- My Last Breath

Hold on to me, love.  
You know I can't stay long.  
All I wanted to say was:  
I love you and I'm not afraid.

Can you hear me?  
Can you feel me in your arms?  
Holding my last breath;  
Safe inside myself;  
Are all my thoughts of you?

Sweet rapture and life-  
It ends here tonight.

I'll miss the winter  
A world of fragile things  
Look for me in the white forest  
Hiding in a hollow tree

I know you hear me!  
I can taste it in your tears.  
Holding my last breath,  
Safe inside myself;  
Are all my thoughts of you?

Sweet rapture and life-  
It ends here tonight.

Closing your eyes to disappear,  
You pray your dreams will leave you here  
But still you wake and know the truth -  
No one's there.

Say good night. Don't be afraid.  
Calling me, calling me as you fade to black.

(Say goodnight)  
Holding my last breath  
(Don't be afraid)  
Safe inside myself  
(Holding me)  
Are my thoughts of you

Sweet rapture and life  
It ends here tonight

* * *

That afternoon, Snape cancelled their lessons in potions.

"Oh, come on. Really?" complained Aly, standing with her arms folded in front of his desk in the Dungeons.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"None of your concern."

Aly knew he just didn't want to see her after the kiss, but still. That stung. She refused to show it, choosing to go on the offensive. He hurt her. She would hurt him back, or at least try to.

"Well, _Severus, _your choice._ I'm_ going to find _Vlad_ and _talk _to _him_. And you can sit here doing nothing and avoiding me all you want."

He didn't even blink, cocking his head impatiently. "Vlad has my regrets."

Aly bit her lip, wanting, oddly, to cry. "Goodbye, Professor."

* * *

As Aly turned, her black cloak spinning around her, and stormed out of the classroom, Snape sat perfectly still. The door slammed closed with an odd finality and he cradled his head in his hands, feeling a headache coming on. Why the hell had he kissed her?

Regretting the kiss fully now, he wondered if he should apologize. Aly had looked so... crestfallen. Sighing, he rubbed his temples and decided against it. She was probably already laughing with Vlad, his arm somehow finding it's way around her shoulders, forgetting about the potions master, sitting all alone in the dungeons. The _old_ potions master. He was twice her age.

Maybe all they needed was a good Oblivio. Just forget this afternoon, maybe more... it sounded good in theory, but he didn't want to forget anything. That, and Aly would be even angrier than she already was.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid. _Stupid!

Stupid him. Stupid Aly. Stupid kiss. Stupid dancing lessons, stupid Yule ball.

"I'm sorry, Lily." he murmured as he got up and walked to the door: he needed to find Aly. Maybe realization would strike upon seeing her.

When he tried to open the door, it didn't budge. Severus frowned and tried again.

Someone got up from the floor on the other side of the door, and slowly it opened to reveal Aly, holding broken glass shards, hands dripping blood from seemingly hundreds of tiny, deep cuts. More glass - and blood - surrounded her. Her eyes were open wide, dry, contrasting with he rest of the scene.

"This broke." she whispered, voice weak.

"So I see."

"I didn't mean it."

"Where did you get the glass?"

"I didn't mean the glass. I mean, I meant the glass. To break it. I didn't mean to be mean."

"Congratulations, my brain has exploded."

Aly looked down at her feet. "I'll go get a broom, Professor. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Wait. Come in, we need to talk."

"B-" she shut her mouth and swallowed. "Yes, Professor."

Severus closed the door, locking it for privacy's sake. Turning, he watched as Aly examined her reflection in the glass she was holding, occasionally changing her hold of the shards, causing even more deep scratches.

"Stop that. Sit at my desk." he ordered, heading to the cupboards for something to clean and heal the cuts. Returning to Aly, he sat in his chair and placed the vial in front of her. Taking one of her hands in his, he forced her fingers open and picked out the glass. Most pieces were small, making them almost impossible to see and remove from her skin.

"That was pretty stupid." he said, not sure if he meant the glass or her outburst a few minutes earlier or the kiss. All three, probably.

"Yes, Professor." Aly whispered.

"Where did you get the glass?"

"Some empty vials you left outside the door to be disposed of, Professor."

"Why did you break it?"

"I don't know, sir." Aly said, staring at her hand in his as he continued to clean it.

"Why didn't you go to Vlad?"

"I didn't want to. Professor."

"Stop calling me that. It gets to be even more annoying than your day-to-day babbling."

The second the words were out of his mouth, he regretted it. Aly bit her lip and stood up, jerking her hand out of his. "Thank you, I won't take any more of your time."

Aly ran out of the room, kicking the door when it didn't open. With a quick spell, she was out and running down the hall. Severus had no choice but to follow- there was no telling what she might get herself into in such a condition. Aly, for she first time in the months he had known her, was truly alone and vulnerable, and this time he couldn't swoop in and chase the bullies away. He was the bully.

She was a surprisingly fast runner. As he dashed after her, he cursed the unfortunate time of day- most of the student body was roaming the halls upstairs, and the sight of him chasing his crying (he was almost sure) apprentice with blood on his hands would be quite a sight.

Aly ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. At the top of the staircase, he could see some sixth-years glancing at her, confused, as she pushed past them. Snape ran past with a glare in their general direction and continued in hot pursuit. She was getting closer.

More students stared as they passed. Some gasped, some laughed. Most whispered.

"Aly Parton!" He called, starting to breathe deeper. "Stop this instant!"

She didn't reply, only sped up, almost knocking McGonnagal off her feet as she ran out of the school and headed down the road, cloak flaring. Passing the Durmstrang ship and Beaubaxtons carriage, she finally started to tire out. He wasn't in much better condition.

Much to his surprise, Aly turned to the left, off the road and towards the lake. At first, he thought she would go onto the Durmstrang ship.

But she didn't. She ran to the edge of the dock and jumped out, into the freezing cold water.

* * *

She had meant to stop at the begging of the dock. But, somehow, her legs couldn't stop running even as she shot out into the air... and down.

Aly was cold. _Cold. Cold. Cold._ So cold, it felt like fire, biting deeper and deeper as she sunk, weighed down by her robes and cloak. She knew she would not stay alive long, not with her breath short and choppy from running and water pushing in, forcing air out.

Everything was so quiet. Greenish light was all around her, calming. She could feel it lulling her to sleep, telling her to just let go, drift away. Forget everything one more time. One _final_ time. Quite the finale.

Slowly, she looked up. The dock seemed miles away. A blurry black shape leaned out over the water. _Severus_. Aly felt a tiny bit of hope come alive inside of her, fighting off the cold and giving her the willpower to keep holding her breath. _Don't give in._

He would save her. Of course he would.

The black shape didn't move for a second, and then, as she watched, he stood up... and disappeared.

"No." she whispered. He had left her. Nobody was coming. Nobody cared.

"No."

Her air was running out. Already, it was a struggle not to gasp, bringing a quick and icy death. An image of her blue-tinged body being fished out of the lake gave her a few more seconds of willpower.

"Severus." she said, watching precious bubbles of air travel up to the surface.

She knew it was her last breath ever. She would die. Because he hadn't wanted to save her. He hadn't cared enough.

Her hands and feet were already numb, and she could see seaweed rising up around her as she sunk even farther- it was oddly comforting. _Safe._ Closing her eyes, she imagined it was Severus's hand brushing against her cheek, not a black, unidentifiable plant.

_Don't be afraid._ She could almost hear him, calling her name again and again, desperate, as her entire world started to blur and blacken around the edges- the cold, the silence, the despair at being abandoned by the one person she cared for.

The piece of seaweed that had been cradling her cheek slid away. Aly felt a strange kind of sadness at being left by everyone, even a _plant._

Her lungs contrasted as water started rushing by. Why was it getting brighter? The huge shadow of the Durmstrang ship grew nearer, threatening to crash into her. Just on time, she was steered to the left and was nearing the docks, when the fight to stay conscious became too much.

_Too late._

She let go of the breath she'd been holding, unable to stand the pain in her chest as freezing water sloshed down her throat, up her nose, filling her lungs and squeezing the life out of her.

* * *

Aly finally came to the surface and Severus levitated her to lay on the dock. Her normally white skin was entirely blue, blond hair stuck to her head and trailing water onto the old wood as he gently pulled her closer to where he was kneeling, willing for her to breathe.

Quite a crowd had gathered, consisting of several staff members- Minerva, Hagrid, some others -and a lot of students. Now, they all stood, silent, faces solemn, on land. As if not daring to step any closer.

Aly's eyes stared up at him, looking surprised, scared. He brushed her hair away from her face, her blood that he still had on his hands leaving gruesome reminders of why this had happened.

"No.." he murmured, his voice coming out nasal and cracking at the end. "Aly."

He wanted to desperately to turn back time, just go back to that moment when he had kissed her. Undo it all.

Leaning down, he closed his eyes and kissed her again, her cold lips unmoving. The crowd couldn't see- his back was to them. Pressing one hand to her chest, he desperately felt for a heartbeat.

Nothing. He drew away from her, matching her stare for stare, keeping his hand over her heart. Her mouth hung open, lips colorless and lake water slowly oozing out, down her cheeks.

"Wake up."

* * *

Aly was aware of someone on the brink of her mind, probing, calling her to come back. She wondered if she should- what did it matter, anyways? Severus had left her. Still, all of her thoughts were focused on him- the way his face relaxed as he read in the breaks between classes. The movement of his shoulders when he caught one of the students cheating on a test. His eyes.

She knew she had to decide. Stay or leave. Time was running out, and the choice just might be made for her- not necessarily the preferable one.

She knew what she wanted- remembrance. Rest. Life was hard, and here, she was facing an easy escape.

Aly closed her eyes, preparing for the moment when the last bit of life left her. "Good bye, Severus." she thought. Could he hear her? Would he even miss her?

_Wake up._

His voice. She knew it was him.

Aly woke up.

* * *

Something _thump_ed slightly under his hand. Severus shook his head, denying himself any hope as he tore the top of Aly's robes open and pressed an ear to her cold chest. He was about to give up hope altogether, but then it came again. A heartbeat. Faint and not getting any stronger, but still there.

Snapping out his wand, he gently traced it from the bottom of her ribs to her throat, drawing the water out. As the last of it trickled out of the corners of her mouth, he leaned down again and pressed his mouth to hers, this time breathing out with full force. One time, two, three breaths. Drawing away, he continued with the standard procedure- 1 minute of heart massage, three breaths, and on and on. On his fifth round, Aly suddenly gasped and started choking, her eyes watering. He couldn't have been more relieved.

"Aly." he said as she gulped air, both of her hands clutched in his tightly. When she was finally breathing normally, he slid both arms around her and pulled her close, drawing his cloak around her in an attempt to warm her up.

"Detention for all eternity." he murmured into her hair.

Aly smiled faintly, snuggling closer for warmth. Her teeth felt like they were about to fall out as they chattered too much for her to even attempt speaking, and she was shaking so badly she could hardly control her ams and legs as she tried to circle both around Severus's waist.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he said in his usual velvety voice, scowling over her shoulder at their audience. McGonnagal blushed and turned around, ushering the other students and staff away, now that there was no wondering about wether funeral preparations would have to be made. Aly didn't answer, just scrunched her head down so that his cloak covered it. They sat like that for several minutes, water from her sopping wet clothes seeping through to his skin, making him shiver along with her.

"We need to get you to the castle. Hold on."

He got up and started walking after the departed crowd, slow and worn-out.

Gradually, Aly's teeth stopped chattering enough for her to talk. Just when she was about to start explaining, though, she burst into tears. Severus kept his face blank as they entered the caste courtyard, everyone staring as he passed.

"S-s-severus... I thought I was dead, and I w- wha- wuh was g-going to die."

"You thought you were dead and were going to die?"

"S-sounded better in my head."

"Go on. Care to explain why you tried to commit suicide?"

Aly gasped, her head coming up in front of his face like a very wet, crying whack-a-mole. Severus stopped walking, since she was blocking most of his view of where he was going. The students in the courtyard tittered.

"D-did not!"

"Yes, you did. You jumped off a dock, wearing heavy clothes, into the Black Lake in December. I would consider that suicide."

"I couldn't s-stop." Aly whispered.

Severus felt his blood run cold. His voice echoed eerily around the now-silent courtyard as he said, menacingly, "You _couldn't_ stop?"

Aly shook her head rapidly, spraying him with water. Not that he wasn't already soaking wet, but still. Aly winced and ducked back under his cloak, squezing her arms and legs around him in an apology. Severus didn't move, just stared ahead as he realized something very unsettling.

"You mean you couldn't stop... as if it was a spell?"

"Yes."

"This is serious, but for later discussion. Anything else you failed to mention?"

Aly couldn't tell if she was still deprived of oxygen, giddy with being alive, or, maybe, her brain was malfunctioning because of the cold. But she decided to tell him everything.

"It w-was so cold. I sunk down ver-r-ry fast, and I looked up. You were just s-standing there. And then you walked away. You l-left me!" She wailed, sobbing. They were now inside the castle, the warmer air and lack of wind a welcome change for both of them.

"I couldn't do anything. No spell would work. You had some... barrier. I broke through after a minute or two."

Aly didn't reply, just sniffled.

"And then...?" he urged.

Aly blushed, glad he couldn't see her. "I imagined you were a p-peice of seaweed."

_"What?"_

"C-crap. The other way around."

"I'm lost."

"There was this strand of seaweed that sort of patted my cheek, and I closed my eyes and pretended it was you." Realizing how odd it sounded, she added, "Must have been oxygen loss."

"Yes."

"Then I gave up right before I reached the surface."

"Perfect timing, Parton."

"You too, Snape. I don't suppose there's anything you need to tell me?"

"No..." an idea came into his head. "Actually, yes. We had our seventh kiss."

* * *

**Yep. Done. Cheesy, yes. Live with it.**

**-Val **


	11. She's Sleeping, Can I Take A Message?

**I am so at a loss of what to say... so... um... here goes Chapter 11!**

* * *

_"Excuse me?!"_ Aly shrieked. They were now in the staff quarters hallway, safe from anyone overhearing. "Last time I checked, it was only one, and that didn't end very well."

"Calm down. I did six rounds of CPR."

"And the seventh?"

"What?"

"You said seven. CPR takes six. That's one more left."

Severus cursed under his breath, something about bad mushrooms. "You heard nothing."

Aly grinned up at him from the tent made by his cloak. "Yeah, sure."

Severus glared down his nose at her. "You're recovering much too fast."

"The beauty of almost dying- I'm alive, and that's all that I care about right now. Except for a warm bed. And the fact that you're shivering more than me."

"Well, I don't have anyone to cling to, as you may have noticed had you looked down."

"Had I looked down, I would have noticed that I'm half-naked. So I prefer not to."

From a ways off, they looked like some black, dripping wet, misshapen monster. Just lumbering along the empty hall toward Snape's rooms.

Severus rolled his eyes and let go of Aly, making her scream and almost crack several of his ribs as she tried to keep from falling. His cape fell away, and she shivered at the fresh, cool air.

"What the hell was that for?!" she squealed as he, face expressionless, unlocked the door to his rooms and walked in, seeming completely oblivious of Aly.

"I will not qualify that with an answer."

Aly craned her neck to see as he carried her in and turned to lock the door.

It was the first time Aly had been in his rooms, and was surprised to find that they didn't really surprise her. A well-worn leather armchair by the window. A green-and-silver quilt on the couch, not a wrinkle in sight. But the walls... potions were everywhere. Aly stared, bewildered. She had thought his cupboards in the classroom, plus the storage closet, were enough to last the whole school several centuries. But every wall in the main room was covered with shelves, and those shelves were overflowing with books, and, most of all, vials. Thousands of them, reaching up from the floor to brush against the ceiling. A painted Slytherin crest took a place of honor on the door to what she guessed was Snape's bedroom.

"You see, no bloody hooks hanging from the ceiling." Severus murmured. "Not even a stray skull anywhere."

Aly blushed. "It's not that. You have a lot of potions." She leaned away, holding him at arm's length as his arms returned to their previous position. Repositioning her feet around his waist, she looked up at him and grinned. "I think you can put me down now." she suggested.

Severus obliged. Then, noticing her torn-open robes, he blushed and turned away quickly, getting the quilt from the couch and throwing it at her, still not looking.

"Uh-huh, thanks." Aly grumbled, squatting to pick up the quit from where it had landed practically in the fireplace. "Great aim."

Severus huffed and walked, briskly, into his bedroom, retrieving a blanket from the bed. When he came back out, Aly was already seated on the couch. Severus wondered how much longer the calming spell he had quietly put on her- getting some on himself in the process- would last.

Aly turned green and sniffled. Apparently, not too long.

"S-s-severus.." she whimpered, looking up at him. He sat down on the other end of the couch, mostly a safe distance away from the now-bawling Aly, only to be tackled by a flying hug before he was even settled. _  
_

"T-thank you..." Aly murmured into his, shoulder squeezing tight.

"You're welcome."

Severus sighed, preparing for a long, long hour or so before his impressionable apprentice was less of a nervous wreck.

* * *

He didn't have to wait very long until Aly calmed down- after babbling for fifteen minutes or so, she blacked out and lay on top of him, arms still clutching him tightly, head lolling to the side. She had an oddly cute way of breathing when she slept, inhaling with a tiny little gasp and exhaling slowly.

He watched her, thinking over the day and how completely strange it all was, one odd act leading to another to another to another. Like dominoes, gaining speed and momentum as they fell, one by one, the last one being Aly's near-death.

He was just drifting off when a knock sounded on his door. Cursing slightly - visitors were rare, only if some students got into serious trouble or something else happened that needed his immediate attention- he slowly freed his right arm from under Aly and waved his wand, opening the door. It was still at least half an hour until dinner.

It was Vlad. Severus sighed, putting a finger to his lips in the universal 'shut up and stay that way' sign. Vlad looked a bit scared as the professor gestured for him to come in and close the door.

Casting a deafening spell on Aly, Severus scowled at Vlad. "Your business?"

"Em, forgive me, sir, I was wondering if Aly was with you, since she was not in her rooms..." Vlad stared at Aly from his position by the door.

"She is sleeping." Severus growled, as if it wasn't already perfectly clear.

"Yes, sir."

The silence stretched out.

"Anything... else? If not, I recommend you get to the dining hall." Severus rumbled.

Vlad jumped slightly. "No sir. I mean yes sir. I mean-"

"Go."

The Durmstrang scuttled out, beet red. Aly opened one eye. "That wasn't nice, Severus."

"I suggest you go change. You smell like dead fish and seaweed."

Snorting, Aly stood up with a groan and stretched. Then, still tangled in his quilt, she waddled out the door, mumbling "See you at dinner."

* * *

**Once again- short chapter. Sorry! Gotta run and learn 2 pages of boring geometry theorems. *barfs up breakfast and kills herself***

**ooh, speaking of breakfast (sheesh, the things that go through my mind)- it's 6 pm and all I've eaten so far was a half-hearted bottle of yogurt. So geometry will have to wait, I'm going to RAID THE FRIGGN FRIDGE! YAAAH!**

**-Val**


	12. Crossroads

**Okay, just to make it clear, it is currently DECEMBER. I know my dates were off previously, by some (aka a lot), so anyways... sorry! I've never read the books. *dodges rotten tomato***

**This is Friday 18th of December, last day of term.**

* * *

Aly woke up the next afternoon to complete silence and low, gauzy clouds. Something, a stillness in the air, told her that she was supposed to be somewhere big. After a moment's thought, Aly gasped and practically flew out of bed.

The older students were writing an antidotes test in Potions. A test that she was supposed to be present at, helping Snape keep the teenagers at bay.

Throwing on her robes, forgetting the cape entirely, Aly grabbed a stack of half-graded quizzes and ran out of the door, hair unbrushed and huge black circles under her eyes. Arriving, winded, at the doors to the Great Hall, she quietly slipped in.

Severus paced between the tables, occasionally stopping to stand behind a student that wasn't focusing on the assignment. Aly blinked. He looked amazing.

Blushing, she kicked the thought to a far, far corner of her mind and hurried to stand next to him. He hadn't yet noticed her. Or so she thought, until he murmured, not turning around, "You should have stayed in bed."

Aly sighed. She _wished_ she could have. Bed sounded fairly wonderful, with three more hours of lessons ahead of her.

Turning around, Severus raised an eyebrow, noting the extent of her disheveled appearance as he looked at her, gaze cool and calculating, down his nose. "I'll take the left two tables. You take the right."

Aly nodded, already spying a comfortable chair in the corner of the room, overlooking her half of the students. This _had_ to be punishment- there was no way she could sit in that chair without falling asleep, so she couldn't sit in the chair. And thus would be on her feet the whole time.

As she wandered around her tables, occasionally stopping to tap an overly talkative student on the shoulder or look at the questions they were answering, she found herself gazing at Snape.

At one point, after he had already hit Harry Potter and Weasley (she didn't even know his first name) twice, Severus stood behind them, head cocked in a 'You'll shut up now' way, and, ever deliberate, adjusted his shirt sleeves and shoved the two boys face-first into their work.

Aly stood there, shaking with silent laughter. Severus noticed. When he looked at her like "Something funny, Miss Parton?", she started laughing even harder.

_Shit, I love him._

* * *

Laying in bed the next day, Aly decided it was time to make some friends. She'd been at the school for half a year, and she still didn't have any close ones. Sure, a month or more had been taken up with Madame Maxime, but still. It was kind of, sort of, pathetic.

As she put on her makeup, she mused about how the heck you were supposed to meet new people. The kindergarden "Hi, I'm Aly, wanna be friends?" approach was definitely not the way to go. Maybe someone would start talking to her first.

That's how it would happen in a movie. The new kid, sitting alone under a sad-looking tree and looking depressed, would suddenly be befriended by someone who sees her for the nice, funny person that she actually is.

Too bad this wasn't a movie. Aly would have to do more than just sit under a tree and mope.

The fact that she was good as a professor didn't help. The Gryffindors passively disliked her because she was a Slytherin, the Hufflepuffs didn't talk to her because the Gryffindor's didn't, the Ravenclaws were just standing off to the side, studying her to see if they should come close or not. And she didn't want anything to do with the Slytherins.

Severus was, by far, the best of them. The others were just too much like Draco- slimy, snoopy, and mean. Not her types.

Sighing, Aly walked out of the room wearing her cloak and robes. The December air was just cold enough to seep through the walls and floor of the school, constantly fighting the warm air inside.

Knocking softly on Snape's door - he didn't like sudden, loud noises- Aly wondered why he never let her come into his rooms, except that one time she conked out on him. It would be nice to understand him a little bit more. After all, he knew every little detail of her life at Hogwarts.

And the things she knew about him was his personality, teaching methods and some other stuff. Most of it remained a mystery- like the kiss. Or was it kisses? Did a second kiss even _count_ if she was unconscious and he was convinced she was dead?

The door creaked open and Severus glared down at her.

"Breakfast time." Aly said, smiling.

"I would have thought you were old enough make it through a meal without needing a chaperone."

Aly winced, clenching her fists. Another mystery.

_I will not get mad. I will not say anything rash. I am rock. Okay, that sounds dumb... I don't care. Do. Not. Care. I do not care._

"I am. Just wondered if you were coming or not. Sheesh."

"I'm not."'

"Why? You could use some vegetables. And protein. And exercise."

"Not your concern, Miss Parton. I am not going to breakfast because I'm not hungry."

"Oh. Well, goodbye, Professor. Vlad will be glad for the company." Aly muttered, turning around and trudging down the hall. If he wasn't coming, he could have just _said so._ But no, first he had to snap at her, then rub it in. Duh. Typical Slytherin.

"To think I said he was the best of them."

Walking quietly right behind her, Severus raised an eyebrow. That was... a pleasant surprise.

Aly, sensing him near her, fumed on. "I'm not talking to you,_ Sev._ If you've got anger management issues, you should see a doc."

Severus opened his mouth to argue, but sighed and closed it as Aly went on. Apparently, she wasn't yet through with him. It was no good talking to her now.

"All I did was ask if you were coming to breakfast. And this isn't the first time. You're so..." Aly's voice trailed off for a second, only to shout out again. "WAH! Impossible! I wish you'd finally make up your mind on wether you like me or love me or despise me or whatever. Because this is just _mean. I'm sick of it!_" Aly yelled, whirling around to face him. They were at the doors separating the staff quarters from the rest of the school, and no one was in sight.

"Are you done?" he asked mildly.

"No! I'm not done until you can give me an answer. And if you can't, well, mark my words, you will have lost me, Severus Snape. I'll... I'll disown you! I'll go stay in Beaubaxtons, or Durmstrang!"

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing, once again, that there was an easy way out of this.

"Well? What's it gonna be? Because _I_ care for you, Severus. Hell, I _love_ you. If you want something to do with me, then you have to act."

Closing his eyes, he hoped to disappear. Obviously, this was the turning point. The crossroads. Etc. Whatever he said now would determine their relationship from there on, and he just didn't know.

"I-" and then it caught up to him. Opening his eyes wide, he gaped down at Aly. Did she actually just confess her love for him?

Aly glared right back up, fists clenched at her sides, her face at level with his chest. A vein snowed at her temple, where her white skin was thin. A hair lay horizontally across her forehead. A small scar on her bottom lip that he didn't yet know the story of. Her mascara-ed eyelashes perfectly long, flaking off a little under her light brown eyes. In that one second, he noticed every little imperfection of her face and committed them to memory. He wanted to keep this moment, this turning point, embedded into the back of his mind forever. He wanted to wholly claim her as his, going beyond fancy titles, social status and age.

Aly was shocked to feel his arm snaking around her waist, a hand gently unclenching one of her fists, then the other.

She had expected for him to avoid it, giving her that final little push to do something entirely stupid. But now, he pulled her close, surprisingly warm and so _solid. _

Aly melted into him, sure that if her ever pushed her away again, she would die. He was the only thing holding her up as he leaned down, inches from her face. She parted her lips and sighed, letting all of the anger be carried away.

Their third kiss was so different form the first and second. The first had been hesitant, fleeting, like a moth. The second had been full of despair, freezing cold and tinged with death. This new one was full of long-suppressed energy, restless, probing, and with the feel of something that would mean everything from now on for both of them.

It went on for long, gorgeous minutes, with occasional stops for air. Aly was convinced she would float up towards the ceiling if he let go of her.

The moment was interrupted by loud footsteps rounding the corner. Aly was suddenly rocketed away from Severus, and Vlad came into sight to find a very red Aly straightening her robes and a very pale Snape brushing himself off.

"Good morning, Aly, Professor." he mumbled, looking down at the floor. Hermione had just been joking when she said Aly and the old creep were a couple, but still. He remembered, bitterly, Aly's voice as she said that he wasn't Snape.

"Moring." Snape drawled. Aly snorted, then cracked up very briefly. When Vlad and Snape looked at her in confusion, she just turned away and waved them off, still grinning.

"After Miss Parton is done, I suppose you would like to escort her to breakfast?" Severus asked Vlad mildly.

"Yessir."

"Good." and with that, he walked back toward his rooms.

Aly turned back to face Vlad, still giddy from the kiss. Their third real kiss.

Vlad wasn't smiling.

"What?" Aly inquired, the smile lingering a little bit longer. "Vlad, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. May I escort you to the Great Hall?" and with that, the look was gone, replaced by Vlad's usual polite smile and part serious, part goofy manners. "Are your legs alright?" he asked, grinning down at her.

"They are now. Breakfast sounds great." Aly said, pretending not to notice that Vlad looked dissapointed.

* * *

**_Shit, I love him. _****Charming, no?**

**-Val**


	13. A Friend

**Ooh, Chapter 13! My lucky number (don't even ask)**

* * *

Since Severus wasn't present at breakfast, Aly was (mostly) free to sit wherever she wanted. Taking a seat at the Slytherin table with Vlad - most Durmstrang students sat there- she looked around, curious. Almost all of the students had already shed their robes in favor of more normal clothes, but the Durmstangs were, as always, decked out in their uniforms. She noticed a lot of girls giving her the envy stare as she sat in the middle of the group.

As they filled their plates with food, some friends of Vlad's - Rick, Thomas and Ivan were the only ones she knew by name - elbowed him and winked. Aly rolled her eyes. Boys were such doofuses sometimes, even the stately Durmstangs.

"So, Aly." droned Thomas, smirking at Vlad. "Got a date to the ball yet?"

Aly winced. Going with Severus would be amazing, but never in this lifetime or the next would he invite her. "Not that I know."

"Oh, really? I am sure Vlad would gladly-" Rick was cut short with an audible thump from under the table. Ivan yelped. "Why me? Kick them!"

Several Slytherins snickered, and Aly gave them the I'll-kill-you-later glare. Ivan was by far the most honest, softest, _nicest _of the Durmstrang delegates. Which was saying a lot.

She chewed quietly, a smile that absolutely refused to fade still stuck on her face. She was daydreaming about Severus when the sound of suppressed laughter broke through to her. Looking around, she realized that her Durmstrang friends were all cracking up, even Ivan.

"What now?!" she whined. The daydream had been so good.

"N-nothing." Rick coughed, clearing his throat.

"What is it? Come on!"

Thomas ducked under the table, huge hands covering his face. Vlad closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip, beet red.

"Ivan? What is going on?"

He grinned and pointed at the table in front of her. "You've been eating air for some time now."

Looking down, Aly saw her hand, poised with an empty spoon over an equally empty plate. She groaned, hitting her head against the table and barely missing the stupid plate.

_Great going, Aly. Keep it up. _she thought crossly.

Finally excusing herself out of the room (luckily, without any further embarrassment), Aly made her way down the hall. There were only so many places she could go. Of course, she wanted very badly to seek out Severus. But no. She had promised herself to make friends.

Excluding the other house's dormitories (which she was allowed to go into), she had the library, Dining Hall, or just the halls. No-brainer- most of the people in the library were there for a reason and would not be in much of a chatting mood, and the Dining Hall was already planned out in the complex social map of Hogwarts sociality. One thing she was not looking forward to was having to choose a specific group to sit with.

Just as Aly reached the halls, the sound of hurried footsteps reached her ears. Resisting the urge to look behind her, she kept going.

"Hey!" a girl's voice called out behind her. Aly glanced back over her shoulder, frowning.

The girl caught up to her, smiling hesitantly. Aly looked her up and down.

She had curly, dark black hair and startling light gray eyes. A dark blue blouse with the top two buttons undone, as well as gray skinny jeans and lots of silver eyeshadow, were a sharp contrast to her huge pair of pink boots. But it didn't look tacky on her. She was pretty in a tough, I-don't-care way.

If you didn't think about the boots.

"Hey." she said again in a light, feathery voice.

"Hi. Can I help you?" Aly recognized the girl now- she was a third-year Slytherin, older than most of them. Hannah Taylor, or something like that. Oddly, she had struck Aly as kind of nice. If a bit slimy, like the rest of the Slytherins, but manageable. She never gave her any trouble during lessons (except for that one time when she winked at Severus during a test. _That_ was infuriating.).

"Um. I was wondering if..." the girl shrugged "...you could help me with some stuff in Potions?"

Aly frowned. "Classes are over, and you don't have any homework in Potions over the break."

The girl's face fell. When she opened her mouth to say something, Aly smiled. "I didn't say no. What do you need help with?"

"Oh!" The girl giggled. "The last chapter we covered. That part about simmering for ten minutes, I'd read somewhere that Butterworms blow up after five."

Aly answered with a look of helplessness. "Honestly, I have no I idea. We could look it up in a book I have in my rooms. Coming?"

"Sure. I'm Hannah, by the way."

"Aly. If all else fails, we could ask Se-" Aly coughed. "Professor Snape."

Hannah looked at her out of the corner of her eye, grinning, as they walked to Aly's rooms. "You said Se. As in Severus. As in, first-name-basis. As in-

"Yeah yeah I got the point!" Aly giggled.

Hannah grinned at her. "He _is_ pretty good-looking." Seeing the way Aly glared at her, Hannah jokingly edged away. "Please don't bite my head off, cause it's true. Well, it's better than lusting after Professor Flitwick or Filch or something."

Aly laughed.

* * *

After a good half hour spent sitting on Aly's bed and looking through potions books, the two girls decided to give up. Exploding Butterworms were, apparently, not very interesting to the authors of books on Potions. On the other hand, she had gotten a big part of the latest gossip at Hogwarts from Hannah - like some wild stories about her and Severus.

"I guess it's time I stopped hiding under a rock and started to kill off the rumors. Mind, none of them are true." Aly said as they stood in front of Severus' door. Aly knocked, quietly.

"May I help you?"

"Yes you may." and with that, Aly walked in past him, dragging Hannah along.

Sighing, Severus closed the door behind them. "You have no sense of privacy. We'll need to fix that soon."

"Uh-huh, good luck with that. Miss Taylor has a question for you, Professor." Aly grinned at him, mischievous.

"Has Miss Taylor no other places to ask?"

"No, sir." leaving Hannah to face Severus on her own, Aly went to the bookshelves and examined the vials, not really paying attention. She was caught up in the idea that every little thing here was his- made by him, touched by him, a piece of his essence lingering over everything.

Aly's eyes focused and she jumped, gasping. Staring back at her from in between two bottles was her face, eyes wide, mouth in a perfect o.

"Aly?" Severus was behind her in seconds, one hand lightly touching her back.

"Huh? Nothing, your mirror scared me."

Frowning, he reached in between the bottles and slipped out the mirror. As he looked into it, Aly wondered at the emotions that flickered over his face. Surprise, grief, anger. The mirror was small, square, with lilies painted over the back. Tiny specks of paint chipped away and floated to the floor.

Hannah, looking uncomfortable, backed away towards the door. "Thank you, Professor. I'll go now."

Severus didn't even blink as the Slytherin ducked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Severus?" Aly said quietly, wondering if she should put an arm around him or something. He made the decision for her when he used one arm to draw her close, so that both of their faces were now reflected in the glass. Meeting his eyes in the reflection, Aly put an arm around his waist and leaned her head on his chest.

"What's wrong?"

"This belonged to a woman... Someone I was hoping, lately, to forget."

Aly frowned, but didn't say anything. _What woman? A lover? Maybe he's married, I don't even know... _"Severus? Are you married?"

He smirked down at her, and Aly glared back. "No."

"And do you have a... a- a-... a someone?"

"Yes, I have a _someone_ and that someone is standing next to me."

"And what is a someone?"

"A person."

"Gee, you think?"

"Yes. Shush." before she could protest, he ducked down and pressed his lips to hers. Briefly, probably not for longer than ten seconds, but still. Aly giggled.

"You have interesting methods, Professor. Kind of makes me want to annoy you more often."

"Not required, I'll kiss you regardless of your annoyance levels." and he kissed her again, his breath warm on one side of her face, his arms so real around her. Aly sighed.

* * *

**-Val**


	14. ILoveYou

**Yahoo, reviews! YAAAAAAHH! ;D You guys made my day a whole lot better**

* * *

"I'm hungry." Aly murmured, curled up that evening on Severus' couch. A fire was slowly dying in the fireplace, crackling a bit every few seconds. Severus sat in the armchair, reading a newspaper with moving pictures, the tip of his wand glowing a soft white.

"Nothing I can do. Half an hour to dinner."

Aly didn't say anything for a few minutes. "I've been wondering... that time I... with the docks..."

Severus looked up from his paper, frowning.

"I almost died. Why couldn't I stop running?"

Severus sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He did that a lot, Aly realized. "I suppose one of the students decided it would be fun for me to chase you for a couple of hours and cast some spell on you to make you unable to stop. Anyone could've done it."

"Fun." Aly growled, disgusted. She remembered Malfoy, laughing at her as she ran past him and his friends. Most likely it had been him. "Is there any way to tell who did it?"

"Yes, there was. But now, after a few days... not really. Unless you somehow get them to confess."

"Too bad. I'm pretty sure I know who it is."

When Severus didn't say anything, just looked at her, Aly sighed. "Malfoy and his crew. Duh."

"Perhaps."

He went back to his paper.

* * *

At dinner, Aly waved to Hannah from the dais. Hannah was sitting across two other girls, whom Aly could see asking something like "You know her?" It was Alice Pelpuper and Jessica Avery, two socially mid-rank fourth year Slytherins. She wondered what they made of her.

Severus leaned toward her, eyes focused on the three girls. "I see you made a friend."

"Not yet. But trying."

"I'm glad. One more person to keep you away from me when I'm trying to work. You can be very distracting."

"Thanks, Sev."

He gave her a look like 'Shut up, will you?' and went back to his food. Aly smiled. "Eat more vegetables. They're good for you."

"I do _not_ need a personal dietician, thank you."

"You do." and Aly scooped salad onto his plate. Glancing at the Slytherin table, she accidentally caught Vlad's gaze. For a second, she could have sworn he looked angry, until he realized she was looking at him and smiled.

Aly smiled back and returned to filling her Professor's plate with food. He asked "Do you have a date to the ball yet?"

"No, but I suggest you take care of that soon. If you want to."

Severus scowled at her and pulled his plate away before she could add any more food. "How am I supposed to eat all this?"

"You'd be surprised at the variety of eating utensils we've got. And, if not particularly good, your hands are also an option." Aly giggled.

"You know what I mean." growled Snape. She just smirked and went back to her food.

"The day after Christmas you and I are leaving Hogwarts." he said.

Aly froze. "Why? Where? For how long?"

"Until the end of winter break. I have business to attend to."

"Cool. So... where?"

"London. Spinner's End."

"Which is?"

"The neighborhood I live in. Quite a dump."

"I'm sure I'll like your dump. How will we get there?"

"Apparation. It is-" he continued before she could ask "-a way of travel. Teleportation."

"Ohhh, nice."

They finished dinner, and just as Aly was getting up to go say hi to Hannah, Severus cleared his throat. Aly sat back down.

"I've been thinking... would you come with me to the ball?" Severus looked her in the eyes. Aly smiled, feeling butterflies in her stomach. This meant dancing. Dancing meant holding hands, his arm on her waist. For a while.

A thought struck her just as she was about to say that _yes, of course she would come with him, he didn't even have to ask_. "But that's in front of the whole school. You know all of those rumors, and..."

"You will be there as my apprentice, and usually, so as to set a good example, teachers are _required_ to dance with someone. In my case it just so happens that the only willing female I found happened to be my apprentice." His expression darkened. "That is, if you are willing."

"Duh. Really, you didn't need to ask." Aly grinned as an idea starting to form in her mind. "Will _you_ come with me to my rooms, Professor? I have something rather fascinating to show you."

Severus smirked at her, black eyes sparking in the candlelight. "I wonder what."

"You'd be surprised." Aly copied his smirk, hoping it looked at least half as good on her as it did on him.

"Well then, it can't wait." he got up, and Aly stood with him, smiling at his back as he led the way out of the Great Hall.

Walking briskly side-by-side, they made it to her rooms in less than a minute.

"Actually, we might as well go in your rooms. I like them better." she giggled.

"Really." Snape raised one eyebrow as he locked the door behind them. It was almost pitch-black, with only a faint light coming from the window in his bedroom.

"Uh-huh." Aly's voice came out breathy. Taking a step closer to him, she put her hands on his shoulders and, standing on tiptoe, pressed her mouth to his neck.

"You are making it so hard for me to behave myself." Severus murmured, running a hand through her hair and down her back, stopping at her waist.

"Maybe I want you to misbehave."

Severus snorted and gently steered her toward the couch.

Aly breathed in sharply, thinking _Omigod omigod omigodomigodomigod _as he continued to kiss her. Soon they were on the couch, his weight comfortable on top of her, their mouths still pressed snugly together.

Aly's hands found their way to the clasps holing his cape and undid them. The cape slid to the floor with a rustle of cloth, oddly loud in the complete silence of the dark room. His hands, big, calloused, but somehow gentle, pulled at the strings of her cape. Aly smiled. "I see you've lost all will to behave?"

"Yes." he said, voice husky, and took off her robe. Under it she had black leggings and a white tank top, as usual. Aly wondered where they were going with this.

Running her hands over his back, Aly pulled her lips away from his and pressed them to the side of his neck. His pulse beat against her lips, warm and _alive. _Aly smiled.

"Severus!" someone knocked sharply, the sound completely alien in their quiet world of soft touches and dark. Aly groaned. "Kill them, will you?"

"Gladly." he replied, rolling off of her and onto the floor. Aly giggled.

Without time to put on her robes and cape, Aly picked them up and ran into Snape's bedroom. Her wand clattered to the floor. When she came back out, Severus was already opening the door to admit the late-night visitors. About an hour had passed since dinner, and students were already supposed to be in their rooms. Aly picked up her wand, and when she looked up, Professor McGonnagal and Vlad were standing in the doorway. With the room dark and the only light coming from behind them, all she could see were their outlines, the light catching on Minerva and Severus's hair and turning it to gold. Aly cleared her throat. "Good evening, Professor. Hi Vlad."

"Hello, Aly." said McGonnagal, her voice confused."A bit late for lessons, no?"

Severus cut in. "Not for astronomy. The view my bedroom window offers of several constellations is rather unusual."

"Oh well. Be good." Minerva sighed, putting one hand to her temple. Aly snickered. Oblivious, Minerva continued. "I caught this Durmstrang student snooping around Miss Parton's rooms."

"Really." Severus drawled.

Aly sighed. _Why...? He had better have a good explanation ready._

"Surely he has a perfectly good reason for doing so... do you, _Vlad?_" Severus continued.

"He does." Aly stepped in. Time to play hero. "I asked him to pick up some books for a report he's writing. I guess he just couldn't get around to doing it earlier."

"Bu-" Minerva sighed. "Alright. Off to bed, Vlad. Excuse my rash conclusions."

Vlad's outline nodded and stepped back, into the light of the hall. He looked confused as Minerva said goodnight and Severus slowly swung the door closed, once again leaving them in the dark.

"You didn't actually ask him to pick anything up, did you?"

"Nope. But I had to save him. It's probably innocent enough. Not reason enough to get him in trouble with Karkaroff."

"He was _in_ your bedroom, _in_ the middle of the night, without your permission. It doesn't look innocent to me. That boy is up to no good." Severus's voice had taken on a sharp edge.

"Shh. Be good." Aly smiled. "If anything happens, you're my neighbor for a reason."

He sighed. "Go to bed."

The smile melted off of her face. "Sure. Goodnight, Professor."

As she retrieved her robes from his bedroom, he leaned against the closed door.

"If you want me to leave, you have to move out of the doorway."

"I don't want you to leave. But promise that we won't do anything that... might lead to something we'll regret."

Slowly, Aly grinned. "Will do. Sleep?"

"Yes."

* * *

About a half hour later, Aly lay in his bed, still wearing her top and leggings, barefoot. They were curled up together for warmth, his arms around her, her back pressed to his chest. Aly sighed and tried to match her breathing to his.

"Stop that. I'm trying to sleep."

Aly laughed. "Sure."

Closing her eyes, she let a silly smile remain on her face as she slowly drifted off into dreamland, all worries and uncertainties forgotten for the moment.

"I love you."

Aly's eyes flew open. _Yesyesyesyesyes_

"I love you too."

* * *

**Maybe high on the cheesy cliche meter, but I kinda like it.**

**-Val**


	15. Christmas Shopping

**Well, 15 chapters) **

* * *

The few days left to Christmas passed impossibly quickly. Aly alternated between holing up in Severus' bedroom and socializing with Hannah and her other friends. The nights she'd spent in her bedroom, alone. Severus seemed reluctant to get so close to her again, and Aly worried, but she knew that it was just the professor in him, trying to be a gentleman.

The evening before the Yule ball, Aly fell back on her bed with a groan. Hannah, Alice and Jessica giggled.

"I have absolutely nothing to wear." she whined.

"Nice thing to remember thirty hours before the event." Jessica chided.

"You need a dress." Alice piped in.

"And shoes." added Jessica.

"And makeup." sighed Hannah, probably thinking about Ivan, who had finally asked her to go to the ball with him, mostly thanks to Aly.

"I have mascara!" Aly protested.

"Not enough. You need foundation." Jessica started. She and Alice were overly fond of listing things back and forth.

"And pressed powder." Alice smirked.

"And moisturizer."

"And eyeshadow."

"And eyeliner."

"And highlighter."

"And eyebrow pencil."

"And eyebrow gel."

"And lip gloss."

"And lip pencil."

"And concealer."

"And perfume."

Alice grinned. _"And matching lingerie!"_

"Shut up." Aly sighed. "I don't have any money."

"Think of it as part of our Christmas gift." Alice said. _"Right,_ girls?"

"Sure. I have floo powder." Hannah grinned, mischievous.

"Okay, but we aren't allowed to leave school property." Jessica reminded her. Little Miss Right, she was like McGonnagal 2.0, always keeping them safely out of trouble's way.

Aly sat up. "On your own you aren't... But you aren't on your own. You have access to The Apprentice and I have access to an un-monitored fireplace."

Alice jumped up and down on the bed, clapping her hands and grinning. She was the most carefree sixteen year old Aly knew. All four girls were dressed in skinny jeans and hoodies, Alice's rainbow-striped, Jessica's gray, Hannah's black and Aly's red.

Hannah reached into her pocket and took out a small velvet bag. "So, shall we?"

* * *

As soon as they stepped out onto Diagon Alley, Alice squealed, twirling Hannah in a circe. Aly snorted and cartwheeled, almost crashing into a jewelry peddler. Jessica sighed and followed her. "Excuse her."

"No problem." the woman laughed, her voice high-pitched and pretty. "Looking to buy anything?"

Aly was about to say 'no, not really' and walk away when she saw the jewelry worn by the woman. Seemingly hundreds of necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings sparkled in the dim winter light. Behind her, a stall with every kind of accessory imaginable jingled in the wind.

Alice, seeing the stall, was equally mesmerized. Then, with a squeal, she grabbed Hannah and Jessica and dragged them over.

"Just got everything in today. You picked the right day to come- usually Christmas time comes with empty shelves and too-high prices." the woman smiled.

Half an hour later, Aly was clutching a tiny paper bag with some of the prettiest silver jewelry. A pair of earrings with black-and-purple feathers hanging down a few inches above her shoulder, a long chain with a snarling serpent-dragon attached, a ring shaped like a dragon's foot, and a matching bracelet on a delicate chain. Jessica, smiling broadly, paid the woman and calmly pointed to a store with "Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions" written in swirly letters across a window.

"What is this?" Aly asked.

"My aunt's store." Jessica smiled. "Haven't seen her in a while."

Alice shouted in an overly commercialized voice "Located at 275 Diagon Alley, this shop helps witches getting rid of 'warts and worse'. Come in, come in!"

Jessica rolled her eyes. _"Must_ you do that every time?"

"Yes!"

"It's tradition." Hannah said to Aly, still smiling her goofy _IvanIvanIvan _smile.

"Uh-huh."

Apparently, Beautifying Potions meant muggle makeup in wizardly pots, promising "Perfect application every time!"

Jessica's aunt, after daintily hugging her niece, explained that a thousand or so years ago, her ancestors had mainly sold potions. "But that's _so_ out of season, so eventually we made the switch to makeup."

Here, Jessica took over. Aly was fitted with so many products she could hardly remember what was at the bottom of the bag as Jessica and he aunt thew more and more tubes, pots and jars on top. And all of it was 'on the store'. She couldn't help but enjoy herself.

Strolling along the narrow street, Hannah grinned. "We still need a dress and shoes. Oh, and a purse."

"Don't forget the matching sexy lingerie." Alice piped in meekly. After two hours, most of her energy seemed to be wearing off.

"All this really _is_ for a one-night event, or am I missing something? It's a horribly large amount of things." Aly protested.

"Not. You can still use all this later. Especially makeup. And yes, the lingerie that we _will_ buy. Not quite sure about the dress and shoes, but we'll see." Hannah said.

"Who are we trying to impress, again?" Jessica asked.

"Speaking of which, I need to buy him a gift." Aly frowned. What could she give to Severus that he didn't already have?

"Vlad, right?" Hannah guessed, looking at Aly out of the corner of her eye. She hadn't spoken to Vlad since that time he was caught in her rooms. It seemed that every time she tried to bring it up, he found someplace to run away to, once again leaving her with questions unanswered.

"Nope. He didn't ask me, someone else did."

All three girls stared at her, astonished. "Who?" they chorused.

"Secret. Wait and see."

* * *

When, an hour or two later, they finally stumbled back though the fireplace and into Aly's room, it was way past dinner and almost curfew. Aly crashed onto her bed, finally dropping the cursed bags. Jessica limped over to the window and, graceful, took a seat in a chair. Hannah fell next to Aly, and Alice fakely passed out by the fireplace.

Aly moaned. Her whole body ached, and her feet felt as if they were vibrating.

Jessica, sighing, stood. "We have to go. Curfew."

Hannah rolled over and onto the floor. "Was fun. Am tired. Goodnight." and, crawling on all fours, made her way into the hall. Alice, giggling, followed her in the same way. Jessica rolled her eyes and walked after them, still favoring her right foot.

"Thank you! Love ya!" Aly hollered after them.

"Aha."

"We know we're awesome."

"You're welcome, Aly. Don't forget to lock the door."

Not a few moments after they were gone, Aly slowly got up and took the bags into the bathroom. About to start admiring her newly purchased goods, she heard the door open with a slight _creak._

"Aly?"

Severus. Aly cursed under her breath. She had been gone since breakfast. How worried could he have been, if at all?

Severus sighed, and the door closed once again.

Had he left? No, she could hear him walking over to the bed. Sitting down. Sighing.

Just as she was about to call out, someone knocked again.

"Did you find her?" asked McGonnagal, her voice worried.

"No, but when I do, she will deeply regret it."

"Oh, Severus, don't exaggerate. She's probably just trying out invisibility spells somewhere. Give it a few more hours."

He didn't reply, and soon Aly could hear Minerva leaving. Smiling, she soundlessly opened the door. He had been worried, after all.

Severus sat on the bed, his back turned to her, hands holding up his head, elbows on knees. His cape was gone.

The smile slipped off her face as quickly as it had appeared. Causing worry to the one person she was sure about was nothing to smile about. Instead, she felt guilty.

Without making a sound, she walked around the bed, almost stubbing her toe in the dim light coming in from the living room. Sitting down next to him, she whispered "Hey there."

Severus looked up sharply, the look on his face relieved at first but quickly turning to annoyance. "Where have you been, it is ten in the evening!"

"Shhh." Aly pressed a finger to his lips. "My apologies." and, all of her weariness forgotten, she ran her hands through his hair. "Stay with me tonight."

Without replying, he pressed his mouth to her neck. Aly closed her eyes. Who knew simple touches could feel so good?

"Vlad was looking for you."

"I don't care." and, at the moment, she didn't. Severus smirked, moving his lips down to her collarbone. Aly shivered as she heard the zipper of her hoodie come undone.

"You know I'll still respect you in the morning." he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. _Of course he's joking,_ Aly thought. _Probably._

Gently, he pushed her back onto the bed. Aly complied, not wanting him to stop as his kisses wandered along her collarbone, then back up her neck and to her mouth. Kissing him back deeply, she helped him take off his robes and shirt. Running her hands over his muscular back, Aly reveled in just how real he felt, pinning her to her bed with his full weight. Someone that she wanted to keep next to her at all times.

Hurriedly, Aly took off her shirt. Severus stopped kissing her and moved away a little. Aly wished she had worn a prettier bra, something more like the strapless, lacy black one that Hannah had picked today, with matching panties, of course. Not the tan push-up she was wearing now.

Not that it really mattered, since in a few minutes her bra was somewhere next to the fireplace, along with her jeans. Severus kept kissing her as they both undressed until they were both completely naked.

"Ready?" he asked her, his voice shaky.

Aly didn't reply, just nodded and pulled him close.

That night, they didn't just have sex. They made love, Aly was sure of it. Falling asleep in his arms, she realized just how much she loved him, had loved him for a long time.

* * *

**This was quite hard to write, so please, tell me what you thought.**

**I considered describing 'the deed' but, well... Meh. It would have been very awkward. Sorry to the overly horny sex-fans. Maybe another time.**

**-Val**


	16. The Ball

**Oh yeah, 25 reviews! **

* * *

The morning of the Yule Ball, Aly and Severus blissfully slept in until lunch. And, when they finally did make their way down to the Great Hall, it was only to hurry back to her bedroom after a quick meal. Aly couldn't stop smiling and kept finding ways to touch him. Severus, as always, betrayed no emotion, but Aly noticed that in the short time that they had been in the Hall he only scowled twice. Quite an improvement.

Leaving him reading the Daily Prophet next to the window, Aly hurried into the bathroom. Her bags still lay where she had dropped them, untouched. A scant reminder of how yesterday night might have turned out if Severus hadn't been in her rooms, at the right place, the right time.

Still grinning, she knelt to pick apart the contents. They had, after some futile searching, given up on the purse. The dress she had picked herself, declining any other offers that Jessica or anyone else made. She just knew that it was made to be worn by her.

It was made out of lightweight, white, gauzy fabric that seemed to blend with her skin, looking quite antique. A wide neckline, one shoulder and most of her back exposed, and a cute knee-length skirt that swirled around her legs as she walked back and forth in the small space offered by her bathroom. "Like a fallen angel." the seamstress had said. Somehow, the dress had been spelled so that her black lingerie didn't show through. A thin silver chain served as a belt.

The shoes had been chosen almost instantly. The straps were almost perfectly matched to her belt, dozens of tiny chains weaving their way around her feet, and the platform heels didn't make those horrible clacking noises as she walked.

Putting on the jewelry, Aly decided that she would have been quite content with the way she looked now, but no, Jessica's aunt had given her a lifetime supply of everything that could possibly be labeled as makeup. And Aly's only rule had been- no lipstick, no lipgloss. Damn it.

Reaching into the bag that contained the makeup, Aly instantly understood that there was no use experimenting now. Jessica had promised she would do everything. Better wait.

Severus's gift was the only thing still left untouched. Aly sighed. How was she to know if he would like it? It was the one thing she insisted that she buy on her own, promising to pay the girls back for it as soon as she got the chance. It was a paintbrush spelled to paint anything you asked it, along with a set of different-sized canvases. Now, Aly kneeled by the sink and tried to formulate her request. Talking to a blank canvas and a drawing utensil was weird, even after several months at Hogwarts.

"I want a- a portrait of, um.. Severus Snape and me. But don't start yet!" she yelped as the brush flew up to the canvas. "Can you please, somehow, pick a moment from the Yule ball that will look best? Something... romantic. Memorable. Where we both look like ourselves." An idea sprung to mind. "Actually, since you'll have all night, maybe several different paintings?"

The brush jumped up and down, as if nodding. Aly grimaced, not sure if she should pet it or something. "Um. Good paintbrush."

* * *

At six thirty, Aly nervously watched Severus's back walking out of the door as he went to his rooms at her request. The Yule Ball would start at eight, and in her opinion an hour and a half was way too much time to spend on makeup, but Jessica had insisted.

As promised, the three girls arrived holding bags with their shoes and dresses. Alice was jumping up and down, smiling impossibly hard, even for her. Jessica was, as always, calm and composed. And Hannah was freaking out.

"Don't be so jittery." said Jessica as Hannah futilely tried to put on her makeup. "It's bad for you."

"Shut up."

"Fine, fine, you can draw the cat's-eye yourself then."

_"Jess..."_ Hannah moaned. "Sorry."

"Forget it. Come here."

As Jessica attempted to calm and beautify Hannah and Alice sat on the floor, busily applying an impossible variety of colors to her eyelids, Aly went into the bathroom and put on her dress and shoes. It did look like something that a fallen angel would wear, but Aly was no fallen angel. At the moment, she felt like the ugly duckling, with her shoulder-length curls a mess and her face as plain as ever. Brown eyes, dark blonde hair, round face. Big eyes and lips, but that was where, in her opinion, her attractive traits stopped.

"Hey." Jessica said quietly from the doorway, still in jeans and hoodie, but her makeup already perfect. "Let's make you even prettier." and with that, she locked the door and made Aly take a seat on the bath rim.

Almost an hour of various brushes, creams, powders, pencils and gels later, Aly was instructed by Jessica to walk out into the bedroom, _without_ looking in the mirror. Aly obliged.

She was met, at first, by stunned silence and wide-open eyes.

"Jessica." Hannah murmured, a smile slowly spreading over her entire face, "you're a fucking miracle worker!"

Alice whoo-hooed and jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "Alyyoulookamazinggoandseefor yourself!" she screamed. Aly was certain Severus had heard.

The person that stared back at her, at first, didn't look at all like Aly. But after a few seconds, the now-familiar features sank in and Aly burst out laughing. He eyes were huge. Her skin was flawless. Her brows were perfect. And, at the same time, she was still Aly Parton. Just.. pretty. Very pretty.

Turning to see Jessica and the others crowded in the doorway, Aly grinned ear to ear and gave Jessica a huge bear hug. Her friend just smiled and blushed, obviously pleased.

"You all look great." Aly said, admiring the other girl's dresses. Hannah's was black velvet, strapless and with a lacy corset that flowed into a tiered skirt that brushed the floor. Her black curls cascaded down her back, deliberately messy. Alice was, as per usual, a rainbow of colors, reminding Aly of a paint-splattered moth dancing in the candlelight. Her brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, showing off her dangling earrings and high cheekbones. Jessica was in a tan gown with full, see-through sleeves and a tight-fitting skirt and corset that seemed to make her slim waist even tinier. Her hair was, for once, not in a braid but left hanging almost all the way down her back.

Aly's waves she had tousled and left to their own devices, creating a beachy look that worked quite well with the 'fallen angel' persona. The black-and-purple feather earrings tickled her neck, and when Aly turned to look at them in the mirror, she gasped. Somehow, they had turned white, almost yellow at the edges, matching her dress.

"Oooh." Alice giggled. "Full of surprises, are we? Do pray that the lingerie doesn't morph into something else at the stroke of midnight."

Aly laughed, her stomach a mess of nerves. Sure, she looked good, but would he like it? _He had better._ she thought.

* * *

At eight sharp, the four girls made their way down to the Great Hall. On the way, they all pestered Aly to tell who she was going with, but she decided to keep her mouth shut for once. Let them have a surprise.

Hannah and Jessica were instantly swept away by their partners, and Alice soon followed. Aly was left to walk down the stairs on her own to join the milling students and staff at the bottom. She could see Vlad, standing next to a petite Gryffindor fifth-year. Severus was already waiting for her in a slightly tighter fitting robe than usual, and without the cape, his eyes taking several moments to find her. Although his face stayed as stone cold as always, Aly was sure he liked the way she looked. At least he didn't scowl.

The room had been made into a winter wonderland of sorts. Aly smiled. The magical paintbrush had better get things right.

"You look good." she told him, conscious of the fact that a whole lot of people were staring at her, be it the way she looked or the fact that she was with him. "Except for one little thing." Aly reached up to tug his collar in place. Not that there was any need to - he had left no room for error - but it gave her hands a chance to linger on his chest, moving with his breath.

The moment was interrupted by Minerva as she joined them. "Why, Miss Parton, you look gorgeous. Severus, please, clear the dance floor." and with that, they were gone, leaving Aly to wander after them. Once a circle had been cleared, everyone gathered at the edges and waited for the four champions and their partners to come down. According to official tradition, they would start the dance, and then, according to unofficial tradition, the teachers and some of the more eager students would join.

A touch on her shoulder made her jump. Looking up into Severus's eyes, Aly smiled.

"You look.. nice."

Aly laughed. "Not one for compliments, are you?"

"Obviously."

"Will do. Thank you."

Finally, the champions descended the stairs. Aly clapped along with everyone else as they prepared to dance. Harry was a bit slow to start, but the others danced fairly well. Soon, to much applause, Minerva and Dumbledore joined them, and before Aly could think of it, Severus put a hand on her waist and led her out into the cleared space.

She could see Hannah, Alice and Jessica in the crowd with their partners, expressions a mix of laughter and bewilderment. She saw some money change hands. Someone said "Told you so."

Aly, still unable to stop grinning like a maniac, placed her hand on Severus's shoulder. It had been so long since they last danced. His hand clasped hers firmly, and he subtly used the arm circling her waist to gently pull her closer. Looking down his nose at her, he smirked.

Knowing that the majority of onlookers were ogling them and not caring one little bit, Aly moved through the familiar steps, perfectly in synch with her Professor. By the time the melody changed, almost everyone was paired up and dancing. Hannah and Ivan whirled past them, and Aly winked at her best friend. Hannah just laughed and looked up into her date's eyes, her black dress matching his red uniform. Alice pranced past with a tall, skinny Slytherin, her wild eye makeup and dress contrasting with his black-as-night dress robes. Jessica was, elegant as ever, paired with a Beaubaxtons boy that was staring at her in adoration. Aly felt her chest swell with pride. Surely no Christmas could be more perfect.

* * *

After the traditional dances were over, some weird rock band took center stage and started screaming even weirder lyrics. Aly winced. Traditional dancing was so much more... her thing.

Severus, of course, agreed, so they found a place to sit. Watching the other students jump around, Aly huffed. "It looks so stupid from a ways off."

He wasn't even looking at them. Instead, his eyes were focused on her. "You look amazing." he forced out, obviously uncomfortable.

Aly laughed. "You don't have to try so hard, you know."

"I want to."

_"__I_ want a good song. Not this cacophony."

"Agreed."

"And I want for you to stay with me again tonight."

Severus smirked, probably realizing what she was hinting at. "Might as well go now. They won't miss us."

Aly smiled, mischievous. "Sure." And with that, he got up and offered her his arm. Aly, giggling, took it and hurried toward the doors. But, halfway to their rooms, Severus suddenly stopped.

"Go. I will be there in a few minutes." and with that, he strode away from her and out to where carriages stood in the falling snow. Aly, confused, shrugged and moved on to her rooms.

Once there, she decided to check on the paintbrush. According to the seller, it could see the owner at all times and draw quality moving portraits in a matter of minutes.

The strong smell of paint was all over the bathroom, so, before anything, Aly opened the window. Then, she looked at the two neat stacks of canvases on the white tile floor. They were all different sizes, ranging from A4 to a huge one that was almost up to her hips. One of the stacks was still empty- not a dot of magical paint anywhere. She would leave those for later. But the second she saw the other stack, Aly knew that the paintbrush had done it's job well.

Four finished paintings. One, the smallest, A4, showed Aly and Severus walking out to join in the dance. The painted Aly waved and winked at her as everyone around them clapped. The second-smallest and largest canvases- them, dancing. Aly happy, and Severus with his usual demeanor save a slight smirk never leaving his face. And in the second-largest one, the two of them sat together, talking, smiles betraying that they were planning something special.

He would love them, she just knew it.

* * *

About three minutes passed before she finally heard the living room door open and someone come in. Aly perched on the edge of the bed, a smile already in place. But the person that came into her room wasn't Severus.

"Vlad?"

He flushed a deep red.

Aly was about to question him when, once again, the door opened an in came Severus. Vlad, pale, seemed to shrink into himself.

"What are you doing in my apprentice's rooms?"

"S-sir, I was just..."

"You were just _what_, boy?"

"I-"

"He was returning the books that he borrowed." Aly said, glaring at Vlad.

"Miss Parton, I am not a fool."

"Se- Professor, please. It's okay."

Severus, with a glare strong enough to melt rock, sent Vlad scuttling out the door.

"Sorry." Aly said.

"What for?"

"For protecting him again. Now that I think about it... I shouldn't have."

"This is the second time that we caught him. God knows how many times he's been here before."

"Yeah. Mood-killer."

"Not necessarily." Severus droned, one eyebrow raised. "Only partially."

Aly got up and reached into her trunk for a set of candles she had gotten as supplies. Lighting them with her wand, she made them float above the bed, casting faint light all around the room. Severus closed the door and took off his outer robe, seeming relieved to be out of it. Underneath he wore a plain, black shirt and pants.

"Aly."

"What?"

"Wax."

"Huh?"

"Wax... is... dripping. Onto the bed."

"Crap."

As Aly quietly laughed at herself, Severus took care of it. Then, the two of them lay side by side, not talking, just watching the candles burn.

At least a half hour passed before Aly looked to see if he was asleep. Not.

"You know... I really don't want to sleep." she said, inching a little closer to him, and yawned.

"Really."

"Uh-huh. It seems like a sad ending."

"Not sad at all." he replied, absentmindedly reaching out to brush back several strands of her hair and then letting his arm drop, draping itself over her shoulders.

"Yesterday was better." she said, blushing the second the word were out.

"Yes it was. But we have time."

Aly sighed, resting her head against his chest, and started to drift away. His words kept echoing through her mind- _We have time._

* * *

**Yet another chapter full of fluff, but I couldn't resist. **

**-Val**


	17. Spinner's End

**Okay, so you probably noticed that the last few chapters were overly fluffy. Shortly: that will end soon. Longly: according to psychologists, every relationship first goes through the sticky sweet stage, then the problem stage, then the 'all's settled' stage. Most drop out during the problem stage (realizing each other's flaws, arguing, suspecting cheating and false play, etc.) and this is the stage Aly and Mr. Sunshine are about to go into. Well. Wish them luck.**

**Oh, and, forget Buzz Lightyear. Please. I, um, changed my mind about the storyline.**

* * *

The next morning, Aly woke to an empty bed. Gray morning light poured in through the window, and last night's candles were carefully stacked on the table. Sitting up, still groggy, she rubbed her eyes and looked around again. She was still wearing her dress, but Severus must have taken off her shoes at some point during the night.

Slowly, she slid off the bed and waddled toward the bathroom, limbs stiff. There she discovered yet another creation of the magic paintbrush- her and Snape, on the bed, softly lit up from above by candlelight, talking quietly. The painted Severus noticed Aly and raised one eyebrow. Aly, feeling like an intruder, quickly turned the painting around.

Washing off her smudged makeup with ice-cold water, Aly finally started to awaken. By the time she was out of the dress and back in her top and leggings, she was wholly awake and ready to find Severus. After all, it was Christmas morning.

Not that he had to be found. Just as she stepped out into the living room, with it's leather couch and dark wood bookshelves, the front door opened on silent hinges.

He didn't smile. If anything, he looked slightly worried. In one hand he held a small, black velvet box.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Sunshine." Aly chortled.

"You too, Miss Parton."

Aly pouted for a second, then smiled faintly as he closed the door and went to sit on the couch, graceful in his movements. Joining him, she smiled even broader.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked, frowning a little.

"Just happy."

Instead of continuing the conversation, Severus stiffly held out the box. "I thought of you when I saw this."

Opening the box, Aly gasped. It had to be the most beautiful bracelet she had ever seen. A spiderweb-thin chain of tiny silver links joined in a pair of wings, spread as if in flight. Rows of tiny white stones decorated the intricately made feathers, each no more than a millimeter wide. Angel wings.

"It's amazing." Aly said, leaning in to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. Almost makes me want to stop calling you Mr. Sunshine."

Sitting back, Aly admired the bracelet for a second before taking it out of the box. Instantly, a pair of large hands came into her line of sight and helped her latch it onto her left wrist.

"Okay. My turn." jumping off of the couch, Aly grinned as the bracelet slid down her wrist, the tiny links of the chain feeling like sand. Jogging into the bathroom, she grabbed three of the paintings- the small one of them starting to dance, the medium one of them dancing, and the one that showed them sitting together in the transformed Great Hall. That left her the enormous one of them dancing and the last of the paintbrush's creations.

Hugging the canvases as best as she could, Aly returned to the couch, where Severus sat still, peering curiously at the bundle in her arms.

"Ta-da!" she said as butterflies threatened to choke her. Handing him the paintings, she stood, unsure what to do. Latching her hands together, she watched as one corner of his mouth twitched, looking at the paintings one by one, hearing the softly spoken conversations.

"It's... great." he said, getting up. "Pack up. We should leave soon. You have ten minutes."

"Leave? Oh. Right. Spinner's End."

"Yes. Pack."

And with that, he was out the door, the three paintings held under one arm.

Aly sighed, sitting on the couch, and cradled her head in her hands. He didn't like it after all. How could he not?

As she stuffed her meager clothes, tools and makeup into a trunk that she had found under the bed, Aly fought tears that threatened to spill over at the slightest disturbance.

* * *

Knocking on his door a few minutes later than she was supposed to, Aly wondered about all of her friends. She hadn't even had time to say goodbye to them. When he opened the door, she instantly noticed that he held all three portraits in his hands.

_Taking them to get dusty in the attic so they don't take up any of the precious space here. _ Aly thought bitterly. _Sure, why not. _Hurt, she tugged at the bracelet, staring at the canvases. She could even hear them muttering, unpleased by the constant moving.

Severus, stepping out into the hall and locking the door behind him, held out his hand for her bag.

"I'll manage."

"No, you will not. Apparation is hard as it is, even without baggage."

Reluctantly, Aly handed him the trunk. He didn't have any bags of his own, only her paintings.

"Take my hand."

The second her hand touched his, she felt as if she was being pulled and squeezed up and down and right and left, inside and out. The sensation lasted far longer than she would have liked, almost long enough for her to become short of air. Finally, the floor under her feet solidified again, and the squeeze-stretch motions stopped. Shaking off his hand, she staggered away from Severus, only to crash into something hard. _Someone_ hard.

"Oh my God I am so sorry." yelped the someone in a light female voice, quickly stepping away from her. Aly squinted, her vision a mess of colors and her head swimming somewhere far above.

"It's okay." she muttered. "Just..got dizzy."

Finally, her sight somewhat better, Aly looked around. Gray skies, overgrown lawns and somewhat ugly brown brick houses built close together. Dump sweet dump.

Looking in front of her, she saw a pretty woman in her late twenties, wearing a short, white winter coat and black skinny jeans. Perfectly straight black hair halfway down her torso, huge blue eyes, pearly white skin. Aly swallowed. A muggle- the first one she remembered seeing.

The woman, looking uncertain, stretched out her hand. "I'm Mary. Nice to meet you."

"Aly."

The woman seemed to realize that Aly was standing in the snow, wearing sneakers, leggings and a tank top. "You must be freezing!"

"Partially."

"Please, come in, my house is right there." Mary exclaimed, pointing to a slightly better looking house than the rest. "I just moved here a few days ago."

"Oh, no... I- we..."

"We?"

"Severus..." Aly looked around and realized that she was alone on the sidewalk. "Um... I don't know where he went. But he lives somewhere around here."

"Well. Maybe we're neighbors."

"That would be nice." Aly said, purely out of politeness. Mary was nice, and something warned her that Severus wouldn't disagree. Which put her off even more.

"Yeah. So, you don't live here?"

"No, I live... in a boarding school. And he's Professor Snape."

"Such an interesting name. Severus Snape."

_Where the hell did he go to... _

"Miss Parton." he was walking up from the house to the right of Mary's, hands free of baggage, his robes and cape seeming even blacker in the monochrome neighborhood.

"Parton?" Mary asked, a slight frown on her face. "I think I heard it in the news a while ago."

Aly's brain whirred to life. Was she a missing person? Had her face been in the news, police and family searching as she holed up in Hogwarts?

She snapped back to reality when she saw her Professor's black shape in her side vision. "Get inside. You'll catch sick." he drawled, his eyes focused intensely on Mary. Aly felt herself flush pink in envy.

"Nah, _Professor,_ I'd much rather stay here and catch pneumonia." she spat out.

"Parton."

"What?"

"Inside."

"No."

"Right. This. Moment." his voice had grown a few thorns now.

"..No."

Mary's eyes darted between them, probably making up some excuse to leave.

"Aly.." Snape rumbled, black eyes flashing.

_"What_ 'Aly'?!"

"Do not check my boundaries."

Aly realized that this was not the way to go- they needed to make nice, at least now. Putting on a slight smile, she took a deep breath. "I'm not, I _know_ them. Calm down, Mary here is getting anxious."

Severus scowled, but then diverted his attention to the muggle. "A pleasure meeting you."

Mary, still looking a bit off-kilter, smiled at him. Aly pursed her lips.

"You too. How long will you be staying?"

"A week, until the start of term."

"Oh. Okay."

"Sev." Aly said, starting to shiver.

Glancing at her down his nose, he scowled and pointed at the house.

Aly stuck out her bottom lip and frowned, not willing to leave him alone with the woman.

Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose and, with a nod to Mary, walked ahead of her into into the dark building. Aly scurried after him, not saying goodbye to their new neighbor.

* * *

**Done. Shaortest chapter in a long time- think of it as an in-between. **

**-Val**


	18. Mary

**Moi c'est HERE. Yes, my French sucks. **

* * *

Inside the house, it was dark and dusty. Severus, flicking a light switch, marched in ahead of her, leaving clouds of dust swirling through the hall.

Walking behind him, Aly sent mental daggers at Mary. _Bah. __Schmery. The way he looked at her..._

The hallway ended in a living room- bookshelves, a cushiony chair by a dirty window, a dusty coffee table, and an even dustier fireplace. Aly smiled. The room, for some reason, instantly made her feel at home. If only it were sunnier, and cleaner, it would be perfect.

Leaning against a plain gray wall to the right of the fireplace, next to the chair, was her trunk and gifts. Leaning down to pick them up, Aly felt Severus staring at her.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Um.. taking them away."

Severus frowned. "Excuse me?"

Aly sighed. "Well, better for them to be with me, rather than take up precious space in your attic."

"I do not have an attic."

_"Whatever!" _she hoisted the bag and looked for somewhere to go. Not that she would know, but standing there with him still studying her face was just too intimidating.

"Is it any wonder why I find you a bit hard to deal with?" he paused "...You assume. Far too much."

Aly blinked.

"Yes. For your information, I was planning on hanging them in my bedroom, kitchen, and this room."

Aly felt like banging her head against one of the walls. "But... but you seemed so.. _displeased_."

He cocked his head. Aly looked down and scuffed her foot against the brown carpeting.

Severus smirked. "They are wonderful. Truly."

Aly grinned, still studying the floor. A pair of boots came closer, and she allowed him to take her chin and make her look up.

"Let's find fitting places for them. Good?"

"Good."

* * *

Once the paintings were hanging and her trunk was safely stashed in Snape's room -at her insistence- Aly wet an old rag and got to cleaning. The second floor with it's two bedrooms (one empty) and bathroom was fast, but the kitchen and living room would take some work. Wiping a hand against her forehead, she listened to Severus walking around upstairs, busily rearranging the items in their bedroom. A thrill shot up her spine- _their bedroom! _Aly giggled. She would have been content to spend years in the dark little house, with his assuring presence always there as a crutch to lean on. Everything would be fine.

On her hands and knees, scrubbing the small, yellow tiles in the kitchen, Aly wondered if the rest of her life would be like this- magical and adventurous. Even household chores seemed like something interesting.

A hand knocked softly on the backyard window, startling her out of her daydream. Peeking up over the window ledge, Aly saw their pretty neighbor busily combing back her hair, an expectant smile on her face. Aly scowled, getting up and leaving the rag on the floor. Mary seemed startled, having not noticed her before, and her expression fell. Apparently, she had expected Severus.

Opening the back door, Aly raised one eyebrow. Nothing too impolite, but still a satisfying hit to the woman's good mood. One corner of her smile drooped.

"Hello, again." Aly said, forcing a small smile. No need to be rude.

Mary was not to be discouraged. "Hi! I brought some cookies, as a greeting." she held a plastic bin up for Aly to see.

At the mention of cookies, her stomach growled. Severus had no food in the house, Aly hadn't eaten anything yet, and it was already three in the afternoon. Opening the door wider, she gestured for Mary to come in. "Spring cleaning. Excuse the dust."

"Oh, you should see my place. I just moved in, and the previous owners..." She went on to make small talk as Aly hurriedly wiped the rag over a table and four chairs situated in the middle of the kitchen.

"Just one second." Aly smiled again, knowing it looked fake and not caring. Something about Mary was so hellishly _annoying._

Upstairs, Severus was tediously rearranging the books on his bookshelves by size and category and whatnot. Aly smirked. "That's going to take a while."

"We have time." he drawled, and Aly grinned. She loved those words.

"Mary's here with welcoming cookies. Better not keep her waiting."

Severus placed one final book in a seemingly random place and turned. Downstairs, Mary was leaning close to examine the small painting hanging on the wall, overlooking the kitchen. She looked confused, and a little freaked out. Following in Severus's wake, Aly glared. That woman had no business looking so closely... Aly realized what she was thinking and was momentarily surprised. Where was all this spite coming from? And what horrible thing had Mary done, other that flirting a little with Snape, who she probably deemed available since by muggle standards such an age difference as they had was unacceptable. But wizards lived longer, Aly knew, and eventually the gap would become unnoticeable. _We have time.  
_  
Severus stood in the doorway, arms folded in front of him. He had taken off his cape, so now his costume was only slightly unusual. "Good afternoon, miss..."

"Revis. Just call me Mary, please."

"Mary. Have a seat."

Around the table, Aly sat close to Sev and Mary positioned herself across from them. Opening the box, she took out a plate file with chocolate chip cookies. Aly felt herself drooling. As she gorged, Mary and Severus started talking.

"You know, you have a very unusual painting there."

Aly tensed, and she could feel Severus stiffen beside her. Moving pictures never moved in front of muggles, but what if Mary had somehow seen the figures switch positions?

"Really..." Severus said.

"Yeah. I could have sworn I saw the people moving... but that's just silly."

The painting was the A4 one of Severus leading Aly out into the circle where the champions and Dumbledore and McGonnagal spun in elaborate robes and gowns. Even if the picture were still, it would probably seem fairly unusual to Mary The Muggle.

"By the way, it is beautiful. Are those two people actually you?"

"Yes." Aly said.

Severus, looking grim, tried to lead the conversation onto more normal topics- yes, we are from a school, no, it's just uniforms, yes, those types of schools still exist, sadly yes, only a few days to rest, no, she is not my daughter (Aly choked at that, stifling laughter, and a piece of half-chewed cookie landed on Mary.)

Severus smirked. "Lovely."

Aly swallowed and cracked up. Calming somewhat, she bit her lip and looked at Mary. "Sorry. No, we are not related."

Mary was not fazed. "Why are you here, then? It seems very unusual that a child should live with a professor away from school, don't you think?"

Aly bristled, and Severus stepped in. "You are quick to judge. That we are not related does not mean we can't be very much attached to each other."

She swallowed. Had he gone nuts? She had thought their... relationship.. was supposed to stay private, even from muggles. Mary looked from him to her, the gears starting to turn. _No way. He's a pedophile?_

Aly decided it was time to intervene. "I'm an orphan. He's the only family that I've got, despite not being related."

Mary seemed relieved to latch on to the lie. "Well then. I'm very sorry... I wish I had had someone like that when my parents sent me away."

No pity was to be gained. Aly wanted to bash Mary's head in and Severus was a rock.

Not getting the oh-my-god-that-is-awful-you-poor-dear reply she seemed to expect, Mary shrunk in her seat, not knowing what to do.

"I guess I'll leave you to your spring cleaning..."

When she had gone, Aly turned on Severus. "What the hell?"

"What?"

"You know what she was thinking, right? _Pedophillle. Child molester. __Creepy dude, gotta call the cops."  
_  
Severus didn't reply. He just turned and went back up the stairs, leaving Aly with a mostly-full plate of cookies and a head full of questions. Maybe he didn't want to hide outside of Hogwarts? Maybe he had thought she would be pleased? _Crapcrapcrap._ Aly rushed after him.

"I'm sorry! Severus!"

He was back to the bookshelves. She walked up behind him, snaking her arms around his waist. He turned, putting one hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm... I love this whole thing. With us. It's just.. I don't know why I called... I..." Aly sighed, closing her eyes, and opened them. His black hair and crooked nose was softly illuminated from the left by the glow of the afternoon seeping in through the glass door to the side balcony, his eyes black and cold. He looked, to her, amazing. "Please don't be mad." she finished lamely. So much for romantic speeches of undying emotion.

He didn't say anything, just cupped the back of her head and planted a long kiss on her lips. Aly sighed, sure that if he let her go, she would float up to the ceiling. Long minutes passed until he drew away long enough to mutter "I'm enjoying this apology."

Aly grinned, tugging him closer to the freshly made bed. "If so, you will _really_ enjoy this."

"I'm sure I will."

* * *

Through the glass and over the side yard stood Mary, shell-shocked. She had a feeling she knew what was going on out of her sight, on the bed. The girl's laughter rang out, faint trough the two doors, but still audible. Getting over her shock and clenching her teeth, Mary felt unreasonably jealous. _She_ wanted that man. _She_ should be living with him and kissing him by the bookshelves. And, most of all, should be the one entertaining him in his bed. Not that insufferable _girl._ How old was she, anyways? Sixteen? Seventeen? Definitely not legal yet.

Stepping out onto her balcony, Mary leaned out over the edge. Sure enough, clothes were flying. _That whore. He _will_ be mine. Or at least not yours. _

Going over to her phone, she dialed the police. Then put the phone down. If they came, she would be sent back to their school and he to jail. Not bad, but nothing good, either. Then something clicked in her memory- Parton. Aly Parton. The girl that disappeared out of her room late August.

Mary ran to the computer and googled it. Sure enough. Among multiple news reports, she found a Facebook page. A smile slowly spread as she clicked through the photos. _My, my. Aly has a boyfriend. Vlad Hesse? I wonder if Snape knows his little girl is taken._

* * *

**I can't believe how much I missed writing))**

**-Val**


	19. Bond Street

**Please, please, criticize. Or say that you like it. Whatever!** **Just.. say something! Otherwise I feel like I'm typing this up and posting this for nothing! And then you get all poopy on me for dumping this for a while. ****_Motivation,_** **people! **

* * *

Dear Aly,

Alice and Hannah here. While Jessica is staying with her aunt, our parents decided that we should have "study time" so we are in Hogwarts. Meh. Almost everyone's gone, so it's fairly quiet. We _also_ noticed Snape is missing. And you are. Did he abduct you or something? You didn't even say bye!

If so, we hope the lingerie is safely stowed away, NOT serving it's purpose.  
Hannah says it's interesting either way. She and Ivan have been quite elusive lately... I actually caught them sneaking out of the building... holding hands... and giggling. You see what I'm hinting at, don't you?

NOTHING HAPPENED THAT DAY. We were just talking!

Yeah, sure. Is that why McGonnagal almost kicked you lovebirds out of the school to spend the night in the Forest?

...whatever.

Anyways. I say Snape had better keep his hands off of you. Hannah says it's his hands and your you, so we have no control. Poo.

Miss you. When are you coming back? Where are you, anyways?  
xoxoxo

p.s. Vlad is missing too. Did you know he lives in a muggle part of London? o_O

* * *

Aly, sitting on the edge of the bed, grinned, imagining how her friends had gone about writing the letter. It was nearly torn in half and partially covered in inky fingerprints, with one of the corners charred. Apparently, a final draft was not meant to be.

Gray morning light flickered as the owl paced in front of the balcony door. Aly went to let it out and, as it flew off and the cold winter wind seeped through her white cotton robe, she realized something very unsettling. Only a meter or so of air separated their balcony from Mary's, which was, apparently, also adjoined to her bedroom. She could see Mary, hunched over her computer, intent on the screen. Aly shivered. Yesterday, all that time, they had been in plain sight.

Severus was nowhere to be found, and Aly guessed he had gone to the store. Sighing, she opened her trunk and started unpacking, still bothered by the thought that Mary might have seen something. Then, shrugging it off, she overturned the bag.

She had relatively few possessions- her bag of makeup, the Yule Ball outfit -carefully folded, two pairs of black leggings, a pair of jeans, a red hoodie, and several tank tops. She sighed. Shopping would be a pleasure, but she had no money, and asking Severus for some made her feel too much like a charity case. And she still owed the girls.

Stacking the clothes on top of a dark wood dresser, Aly thought _why not_ and put on her Ball outfit. Then, taking the makeup bag, she retreated into the bathroom. As Jessica prepared her for the celebration, she had quickly explained what was for what and kept saying the same thing over and over- less is more. Now, Aly tried to remember what to do.

About a half hour later, she was the closest she could get to what she had looked like that night. Even without Jessica's proficiency, the makeup seemed to have a mind of it's own- blush would miraculously only be applied where she needed it to go, eyeliner refused to be put on incorrectly, and when she slipped and swiped a mascara wand across her forehead, it didn't even leave a mark. Overall, she looked great. Severus' bracelet worked perfectly with the feathery earrings and dragon ring and pendant. Aly grinned.

Barefoot - it felt a bit over-the-top to wear heels in the house- she padded out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. It was dark, too dark. With one window and a whole row of glass walls outlooking the balcony, once the shades were no longer drawn, the room looked depressingly gray. The gray wallpaper and colorless furniture didn't help.

Not that she minded. The house had a kind of peacefulness to it, a place where you would want to get snowed in for a couple of days.

Downstairs, she heard the front door creak open. Severus. And food.

* * *

The first two days of their private week passed fairly quietly- Aly spent time reading, cooking, or practicing magic, not once seeing Mary in person or going out of the house. She and Severus went to sleep together, laying close for warmth. No more letters arrived, and Aly's reply to the first was short and in-descriptive -_Staying with Prof. Snape, back by start of term. Love you too. _She knew she should write more, but every contact with the outside world felt like another crack in the barrier cutting them off from reality, a little island of books and cauldrons.

Laying awake in bed, early Wednesday morning, Aly watched the clouds move on beyond the glass of the balcony. She no longer worried about Mary- who cares, anyway?- so the drapes were almost never drawn.

"Today, we are going to the city." Severus said, his voice startling her out of her dreamy state.

"What for?"

"I have some errands. And you need time in the real world."

"I don't want time in the real world." she replied, rolling over to face him. His leg brushed hers under the blanked, and Aly smiled.

"Your wardrobe is rather limited, don't you think?"

Aly blinked. "Perhaps..."

"Well, get ready!"

Aly smiled, sitting up. Gathering as much of the quilt around her as she could, she got up, only to be pulled back.

"Am I supposed to freeze, then?" Severus grumbled.

Aly rolled her eyes and threw the quilt back at him, leaving her in her underwear and quite cold. Sprinting out of the room, she grabbed her robe and started her makeup routine, now mastered and only taking a few minutes. "You might want to dress up." she head him mutter and, confused, put on her dress and heels.

Back in their room, Severus was already dressed and ready to go. Seeing her, he groaned. Aly didn't realize, at first, what was wrong. Then she remembered- she had no coat.

Shaking his head, Severus got out his wand and morphed her hoodie into a knee-length black brocade coat. Aly raised one eyebrow at his taste, which was, surprisingly, good, and put on the coat.

* * *

As Severus dropped her off at a bus stop with a map and a wad of cash, she wondered why he didn't just leave her at home. And why, when he walked away, he got on the bus that went back to Spinner's End. She didn't pay much attention to it, though- in front of her was a sight to behold. Bond Street, something told her, was not for the poor and tasteless. Glancing down at the money in her hand, she knew she had enough to not have the energy to spend it all, even with the obviously sky-high prices and abundance of brands.

Several hours later, Aly's head was ready to explode. Multiple clothes stores- Christian Dior, Gucci, Emporio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Ralph Lauren - had each left her with several hundred euros less and a few items more. She wondered where in the world Severus got so much money. It didn't seem that a teacher, albeit a magic teacher at a magic school, would earn so much.

Her load of bags was getting hard to carry. What was the thing in these high-end brand stores with having a huge bag for every item of clothing bought? Aly was starting to consider ruining her look of sophistication and stuffing it all in one bag- the Gucci, maybe. It was especially gigantic and almost empty.

With no worse problems than the number of bags she was carrying and the fact that she no longer remembered what she had bought, Aly wasn't prepared to bump into Vlad. Literally.

Bouncing away from him, she took a moment to catch on.

"Vlad?!"

"Aly." he looked like a cornered animal. "What are you doing here?"

Aly was in no mood for manners. "Shopping, obviously." she snapped, shaking the bags. It looked ridiculous- a tiny Aly shaking two piles of paper almost twice her size in width. "You owe me an explanation. Look, you are a great friend. I care for you. But what were you doing, sneaking around in my rooms?!"

Vlad hung his head.

"Well? Were you stealing?" She knew nothing had gone missing, but what was there left to think?

"No!"

"What, then?!"

"I-. I love you. I can't believe you don't remember... we... but you... Snape..."

Aly stood there, gaping at him. Her mind struggled for logic, for a way to process this and start to make sense out of it. _Us? Remember? _

"Remember what, exactly?"

"Us." Vlad seemed to gain control. "You and I. We."

* * *

**Problem time. Uh-oh. **

**-Val**


	20. St Thomas

**Well, not a single review on the last chapter yet. And don't say there's nothing to review, because I have 20 chapters and 30,000+ words. *sniffles* You disappoint me.  
Okay, does anyone have any suggestions? I am completely open, since the storyline changes daily anyways. Requests? Character ideas? Name suggestions? Anything! ****  
**

* * *

Severus Snape paced in circles around his living room. It was late, very late, and Aly was still gone. He knew he shouldn't have just left her in the middle of London, but matters of the Drak Lord were far too dangerous to risk getting her involved.

The clock over his fireplace ticked- almost nine in the evening. Something was wrong.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mary had spent a ridiculous amount of time looking up all she could find on her neighbors. She knew it was bordering on stalker-ish obsession, but she couldn't resist. Oddly, Severus Snape did not exist. Nothing.

_Maybe it's not his real name. _

Aly Parton, on the other hand, was quite well documented. Before her disappearance, she had lived in downtown London, with her moderately-rich parents and two siblings- a little boy and an older teenaged sister. And Vlad Hesse, apparently, lived nearby.

Mary smirked. Severus would probably be... _captivated._

* * *

When someone knocked on the back door, Severus was wholly ready to give Aly a lecture on the convenient placement of clocks on virtually every corner in the city. And their many uses.

"Good evening, Severus." Mary said, her voice low.

Severus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Evening. May I help you?"

"I just wanted to talk. You remember I said that the name Parton sounded familiar? I looked into it, and..."

Severus gulped. Aly's past was something they had been trying to get back relentlessly, with no results. And here was someone that actually _knew_ something.

Mary continued. "... did you know she is a missing person? Disappeared out of her bed late August. With no trace of break-in, or anything. Her family, friends, and boyfriend searched, to no avail."

Severus stared. He had never, for some reason, imagined Aly having a boyfriend. Family, friends, sure. But a boyfriend was out of question. The thought of his Aly, being someone else's, was far too infuriating.

"Vlad Hesse. If you were wondering."

Severus felt like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff. Vlad? He never had learned the boy's last name, so maybe it was just a coincidence. But if he really was _the_ Durmstrang Vlad, in would explain so much more. His little obsession with Aly, for one. Sneaking around her room, and other things.

"Could you... show me a picture of her family, please? Perhaps I know them."

Mary's eyes glinted. "Of course."

* * *

Aly sat on the bus back home to Spinner's End, her mind whirling. Anyways, it was a bus _away_ from home, if Vlad was to be trusted. They had spent the last couple of hours talking about her past, who she was, her friends and family, and she had absolutely no way of knowing whether any of it was even true. He had offered, multiple times, to show her the building she lived in. Maybe even go up, ring the doorbell. Maybe, her memories would come flooding back. Maybe everything would be fine and movie-like and perfect. _That's too many maybes._ she had told him, and that was the end of discussion

She didn't want the memories so soon. What if she remembered how much she cared for Vlad and would no longer be able to really love Severus? And her family... she was sure, if they saw her, they would never let her go, even if she didn't know who she was. No more Hogwarts, no more magic, no more wizardly friends and their crazy escapades. No more Professor Snape. And she could never live with that.

Now, she leaned her head against the window, wanting very badly to forget Vlad with his probing voice- "You remember your Aunt Kelly? The way she always turns in a circle before entering a house? What about Ellen? Ellen-hellen-gimme-a-melon? No? Kaye! Kaye, with her pink hair and sparkly eyebrows?"

Her bags of clothes took up the seat next to her, and she could see the bus driver through the back-view mirror, dozily smoking a cigarette. Other than that, the bus was empty and completely silent. The black world outside the windows was occasionally pierced by a streetlamp or oncoming headlights, but that was it- as if the neighborhood they were passing was uninhabited.

The driver was starting to worry her. His eyes kept closing, his cigarette dangling on the edge of his lips, and the way the bus drifted back and forth along the two-lane road was scary. Oncoming traffic was scarce, but still, who knew?

"Excuse me?" she said. He didn't move. "Excuse me!" she shouted. Startled from his drowsy state, he looked back at her.

"Um. Could you please... um.."

"Don't worry. I've been on the road thirty years now, and nothing wrong- not a single speeding ticket!" he called joyfully, but Aly was not convinced. Still, at least now his eyes were open and his grip on the steering wheel was firmer. Aly allowed herself to relax, closing her eyes.

* * *

The driver, over 50 years old, watched the girl drift off and chuckled. Teens. He remembered his teen years...

Caught in memories of his past, he felt himself relaxing again. It wasn't even that late -a half hour past nine- but his age and the long day were taking their toll.

Forgetting the road and the bus, he allowed his old, creaky body to relax. As the cigarette fell from his lips and onto the seat, he didn't notice. He also didn't notice the two street racers doing well over 100 mph, side to side, leaving no room for the bus other than the sidewalk.

Aly heard someone honk and paid no attention. Settling in against the ice-cold window, she allowed her consciousness to slip away. Spinner's End was last stop, there was no way she could miss it.

A screech of brakes, a grinding of metal, an explosion of glass, the click-clack of it hitting the snowy asphalt. Aly didn't have time to open her eyes before she went flying forward, past the mutilated driver, through what was left of the windshield, and onto the crumpled hood of one of the cars that had crashed into the bus. it was bent so that it no longer looked like a car- more of a rectangle of metal frames and sheets of plastic. The other car, though, was still looking like a vehicle of sorts. You wouldn't expect the radio to be playing afterwards, but it was. Coming from one of the racers was a string of electric guitar chords, drums, and lyrics.

_Polarize me..._  
_Sensitize me..._  
_Criticize me;_  
_Civilize me..._  
_Compensate me;_  
_Animate me..._  
_Complicate me;_  
_Elevate me._*****

* * *

Severus was nearing panic. It was nearly _midnight._ Where the hell was she? Around one in the morning, he got a call.

"Severus Snape?" the woman's voice was devoid of emotion and bored.

"Yes..."

"We would like to notify you... Aly Parton has been in a car crash, one of her relatives said we should notify you."

The room spun. "Where is she?"

"St Thomas' hospital. ICU."

Snape knew that hospital, and quickly apparated into a hallway. Luckily, no one saw him, although the hall was unusually crowded so late in the night. Police, nurses, paramedics, teens, and some adults, all of them were milling near a closed doorway, everyone talking in not-so-hushed voices. As he strode closer, he could hear a woman wailing to see her daughter. A man towered over a nurse, his voice a growl as he threatened to have them all fired for withholding them from their child. A figure detached itself from a crowd of teens Aly's age and walked over to him. Vlad, dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt.

"Professor."

"Not now. I need to see her."

"They're not letting us in."

"They had better."

Striding over to the crowd, he found a doctor that seemed to be in charge, mumbling orders to nurses, calming whoever demanded him to open the door.

"May I help you?" he asked, his eyes kind behind plain glasses.

"Yes, you may. I am going in, be it with your permission or without it. That girl remembers nothing- all of these people have no meaning to her. Amnesia, if you will. _Me,_ she knows."

"I'm sorry, sir.."

Without another word, Severus shoved past the doctor -almost a foot shorter than him, like a lot of men- and reached for the doorknob. Cries of complaint rose up from around him as he quietly slipped in.

Inside, Aly was hooked up to an IV, her pulse and heart rate displayed in black and green on a monitor attached to her bed. She was alone in the room, her eyes open and staring up at the ceiling, hands laid at her side, her left wrist secured and bandaged. Her white skin, which so often reminded him of snow, looked gray and sickly in the harsh lighting.

Rushing to her bedside, Severus kneeled to her right and gently took her unharmed hand in his. It was cold, trembling ever so slightly as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Sev." she whispered. "Please don't leave me."

He was about to say that of course he wasn't going anywhere, how could she think otherwise, when the door burst open and in flooded about a dozen muggles. The man and woman- her parents, he guessed. Vlad and four or three girls, two of them with their faces red and tear-straked, makeup running in black and brown rivulets. A cop. Trailing behind them was the doctor, looking lost. "She needs rest." he called, but nobody listened. Severus stayed kneeling and tightened his grip on Aly's hand as the people crowded around her, faces grim and unbelieving. Her mother was still crying, kneeling on the other side of the bed, touching Aly's face, her father patting her shoulder. Severus quietly harboured his disgust, protective instincts seeping in.

The girls were crowding at the foot of the bed, shaking it as they clamored for space, and he felt Aly squeeze his hand every time the metal headboard was bumped against the wall. "Do not disturb her." he growled.

At his glare, they receded a few centimeters back, but still wouldn't shut up. As if Aly was going to answer any of their questions, or as if she cared who had dumped whom and who had done what. Vlad stood behind him, silent. Aly's father was staring at Snape, his eyes flickering from his hands holding Aly's, to his face, and back. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice rich and heavily accented.

"Professor Severus Snape. I have been the legal guardian of your daughter these last few months."

_"What? _She was kidnapped!" her mother shrieked, and Aly's hand clenched his even harder. Severus held up a finger to his mouth, whispering "Shhh."

Her mother did not shut up. Instead, se jumped to her feet, fists clenched. _"You!"_

"Not me. I do not know the details of how she came to be at our school, and neither does anyone else. It might very well stay a mystery."

"School?" the woman screeched.

Aly groaned. Severus stood up, folding his arms in front of him. His voice cut the air like daggers. "Do you not see that you are hurting her?"

The woman shrunk back. "But-"

"He is right. Everyone, out." the doctor intervened. "Everyone." he silenced the father as he drew a breath to argue.

Slowly, everyone filed out, back into the hall- Vlad, the cop, the girls, the parents both of them glaring at Severus with the clear message that they would give him a piece of their minds later. He didn't care. Sitting down next to Aly, he again took her hand in his.

"Sir... everyone." the doctor said.

Aly closed her eyes. In a whisper, her voice off-pitch and crackly, she said "No... stay. Severus.."

The doctor eyed them curiously and seemed to give a mental shrug. "We will need to take her vitals in twelve minutes." and with that, he walked out, closing the door. Outside, Severus could hear a chorus of complaints.

"According to that man, your daughter remembers nothing before her disappearance. She asked for him to stay."

Drowning out the voices, Severus took out his wand, locked the door, and got to work. Aly had to be healed, but not drastically. Her broken bones and most noticeable bruises and cuts would have to wait. If she made a miraculous recovery in a matter of minutes, certainly someone would notice.

Healing anything that was out of sight, Severus watched as the lines of her face relaxed. The beeping of the monitor sped up, her heartbeat returning to normal.

"You foolish girl." he murmured, stroking her hair as he sat next to her on the bed.

"Probably." she replied, her voice back to normal, if weak. "The driver and I fell asleep. Two street racers crashed into us head-on, going at full speed. All of them are dead, I think."

"Muggle morons." he spat, furious. His apprentice had almost been killed because one moron didn't get enough sleep, and the other two morons wanted a good adrenaline rush. Idiotic, inconsiderate, stupid...

"I met Vlad before that... he told me about my family. Him and I, we..." she closed her eyes.

"I know. Mary looked you up on the internet."

Aly's eyes flew open. "So that's your 'business' in the 'city', huh?"

Severus smirked. Was Aly, of all people, jealous? "No."

"You were with her!"

"Was not."

"You said it yourself!"

"Did not."

"Did."

"Did not. I finished my errands, went home, waited for hours for you to come back, then Mary showed up and told me. Much later, I got a call from the front desk- Vlad had asked them to phone me."

Aly sighed. "Sorry. What do we do now, mm?"

"I have no idea. I do know that we are being eavesdropped on, though."

Outside the door, someone yelped.

Aly lowered her voice to a whisper. "What are we going to tell them? 'Sorry, dudes, can't remember who you are, here's my magic boyfriend, no, I don't mind the age gap, sorry, gotta go teach potions to adolescent wizards in a creepy old castle. See you in a few years!'"

"Theoretically, we just need to go back to Hogwarts. But that's unfair to them. I say we wipe their memories and leave, but I suppose you don't agree, do you?"

"I don't know. I just want to go home."

"Home?"

"Spinner's End. Hogwart's. Anywhere, away from all this."

"That's not hard." he took her hand and apparated for the second time that day. He knew he would regret it later, but at the time, he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep with her in his arms. Safe.

* * *

***- Rush- Animate. Good song.**

**-Val**


	21. Family

**Chapter 21!**

* * *

When they appeared in their bedroom back in Spinner's End, Aly was hardly conscious enough to feel Severus laying her on the bed, taking off her heels and freeing her somewhat from her dress. As he got to work healing her badly tattered body, she allowed herself to fall asleep, assuring her foggy mind that there was no possibility of a crash here. Still, as she stood on the edge of dreamland, she kept expecting to hear the honk, or a screech of brakes. Something to signify that the night was repeating itself.

She heard nothing other than Severus as he undressed and lay down next to her, his warmth quickly filling the space under the blankets.

* * *

Aly would have expected herself to sleep in, considering the events of yesterday, but no, she was awake at eight. Slipping out of her (oddly unharmed) dress and into the white robe, she sat next to Severus and watched him sleep, his chest rising and falling, the blanket twisted around him from whatever nightmares he had been plagued by during the course of the night.

_I can't believe they are my family... and I don't feel anything towards them. _ Nothing. She had thought that seeing them might make something click, maybe open some mental doorway to her memories, but no. Of course not. That would be too simple.

She thought, briefly, about Madame Maxime. At the end of the school year, she would leave with them to the Beaubaxtons Academy. Already, the upcoming trip was making her homesick, because who knew how long their experiments on her might last? She might be away all summer. Which sucked, especially considering that she was no longer sure she wanted to remember anything.

Aly spent the next few hours lying in bed with a book, _The Multiple Uses For Toadstools_, which was interesting in a very disturbing way- roasting toadstools in muck with rat's tails and pine needles as an _ointment?_ She wondered how one discovered that.

As she was nearing the end of the book, Severus started to come awake. Dog-earing a page and turning towards him, she shook his shoulder. He scrunched up his face and inched away from her. Aly giggled. He looked so unlike the usual stone-cold vulture that it was a bit of a revelation- Severus Snape could look cute. Five words she had never thought able to co-exist.

Fully awake now, Severus sat up, frowning. "We should be ready."

Aly squinted. "Ready fro what, Mr Sunshine?"

"Your parents. You might not remember, but yesterday a strange man locked himself in your ICU room and when they came to take your vitals you were gone, with the only exit being a second-story window."

Aly winced. They knew his phone number, so it was only a matter of time before they would find his address, too. "What are we going to do?"

Severus thought for a moment. "Talk to them. No use running -I do not want the dubious pleasure of being well-known as a shadowy kidnapper."

"Okay." Aly smirked, faintly. "Snape the Shadow."

Snape rolled his eyes, annoyed. "If I ever hear that again, you will deeply regret it."

"Fine. What the hell do we _tell_ them? No doubt they will show up with an entourage of police cars and my friends. And Vlad."

"Firstly, we send the police and friends away. Or, at least, make them wait outside. Vlad will stay, and serve as witness. Now, as for how much to tell them... I have no idea. Generally, the parents of muggle-born students are told most, if not all, of the things about the wizarding world."

"They'll think you're nuts. And me, too." Aly concluded. "They'll want proof, and Vlad is not enough."

"We can demonstrate, can't we?"

Aly stared at him. "Suuure."

"Why not?"

"Because they're _muggles._ You aren't supposed to use magic in front of them, right?"

"In most cases, yes, but this is unique. And do you really think everyone sticks to the rule?"

"Humph."

* * *

It didn't take long for the promised troop to arrive- friends, parents, Vlad, police, and a slightly older girl that Aly guessed was her sister. She and Severus were just starting breakfast, Aly nervously picking through the cereal, when someone pounded on the door.

"You stay here, I'll open it." Severus said, walking off. She knew why- he wanted as little people as possible to see her unreasonably quick recovery. She was supposed to be immobile, after all, with several broken bones and fractures, as well as dozens of bruises and cuts that might need stitches.

Aly strained her ears, listening to whatever was going on at the front of the house.

"Severus Tobias Snape?" a woman asked. Not her mother- one of the police, most likely.

The Professor's voice was cold. "Yes."

"May we come in for a talk?"

"Yes, in a while. But first, Miss Parton has asked me to invite her family and Vlad in. For a talk."

"But.." the cop faltered. Something was going on beyond the house.

Aly could hear her mother shouting something about Severus. She clenched her fists. What kind of people _were_ her parents? So far, her impressions of both of them were not good.

"Mrs Parton, please. Come in." Severus soothed, his voice losing some of it's usual spikes. All of it a show, Aly knew, but at that moment he seemed almost normal.

Aly pulled at the edges of her new, blue and partially see-through button-down and studied the floral pattern of her jeans, wondering if the shirt was overkill. Folding her hands in her lap, she waited. Too late to change anything now.

"I will have you in jail, you.-" her mother said, already inside the house.  
_  
_Her father's voice cut her off, muttering something inaudible.

Aly stood up and walked to the doorway leading into the living room, her first time face-to-face with her family.

First came her mother, red-faced, her mouth set in a firm line. She was horribly thin, like a model, with wavy ash blond hair and huge blue eyes. Behind her was a big man, as tall as Severus, with wide shoulders, short-cut black hair and brown eyes. _Her_ brown eyes. The resemblance was eerie. Behind him stood Vlad and a girl of about eighteen, looking like a vey young version of her mother. She was so pretty.. Aly felt a little jealous. She had done her makeup, in her opinion, perfectly that day, but this girl made her feel like the ugly duckling.

Standing a ways behind them, Severus locked eyes with her. She took strength in his gaze, and gave him a little smile that twitched awkwardly back into a straight line when her father cleared his throat.

"Aly?" her sister said, mouth open.

Severus stepped forward. "I must remind you- memory loss. She doesn't know you."

Aly scuffed her bare foot against the carpet.

"I can't believe... nothing?" her mother hiccuped. "Aly, is it true?"

She took a deep breath. And another. "Yeah. Come in, we have cereal."

She wanted to kick herself. _We have cereal? It sounds like a bribe. Or a threat. Ugh._

Eyeing her as if she had just fallen from the sky, the crowd shuffled past her and into the kitchen. Her sister held out her hand, and lay, not knowing what the hell was happening, shook it. The girl's eyes brimmed with tears. She looked... _betrayed._ "You really don't remember it? The Shake?"

"No."

The four guests sat around the table as Aly and Severus stood in front of them, silent. Aly grabbed the unfinished plate of cereal and started crunching- anything to fill the silence. Severus looked at her in bewilderment, as if to say _really? Cereal? _Aly snorted. "Yes, cereal. Something wrong?"

The three family members smiled at her. Her father's eyes lit up with a bit of hope- "I suppose you're still our Aly."

She wasn't so sure. She wasn't theirs. She belonged with Hannah, Jessica, Alice, and Severus.

"So." her mother said. "Please tell us where you were all this time? And what you were doing?"

Aly winced. Why did the hardest part have to come first?

"Well..." she started. Looking up at Severus, she felt herself starting to panic. What should she say? Where to start?

"I'll talk." he said. "Late August, I found your daughter unconscious on school grounds. Vlad can confirm any part of what I say."

Vlad nodded.

"Headmaster Dumbledore assigned her as my apprentice, because she had no memory of who she was and none of our methods would work. Let me finish. She had no knowledge of the things we teach, and no sure way to make her catch up to four year's worth of material. As an apprentice, she aids me in my teaching, as well as being taught one-on-one by only me. Now, for the hardest truth to accept..."

He reached into his robe pocket and took out his wand. Aly studied the faces of her family- confused, they stared at Snape.

_"Expecto Patronum!"_ he said, slowly. A silver doe leat into the air and bounded across the kitchen, finally disappearing in a puff of glowing dust. The three muggles stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Our school teaches magic." Aly said, quietly.

* * *

A half hour later, most of the catching-up on Aly's part was done. She had only hidden one thing- her real relationship with her Professor. It was easy to imagine the chaos that would surely come if they found out- her mother, Abigail, shrieking, her father, Daniel, threatening to gut Severus, maybe some chairs overturned... Cass staring at her in pure shock.

Now, though, the three Partons were silent. "Excuse us." Abigail -Aly couldn't bring herself to think of her as Mom- said, leading Dan and Cass out into the living room. Vlad, too, stood. "I have no more business here. Good-bye, Aly, Professor." he saluted and walked back to the front of the house, leaving without another word.

"That wasn't so bad." Aly tried. It sounded meek.

"Oh, it was _delightful__. _Especially your rather... crafty conversation-starter. Cereal." Severus's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Shut up. I wasn't the one spewing deer out of sticks. My outstanding performance dims in comparison."

Suddenly, the living room flared green. Abigail shrieked. Aly and Severus came running to see a slightly sooty Hannah climb out of the fireplace. She coughed. "Sheesh, Professor, when was the last time you cleaned that thing?"

Severus looked indignant. "What does it matter?"

"We almost _died."_

"Wonderful, Miss Taylor. How in the world did you-"

Aly cut in. "We?"

"Should be here any second. Jessica's coming in a few minutes, and I have the feeling Alice got lost along the way."

Turning to survey the room, she continued. "We picked the lock to your room and used your fireplace. Surprise-surprise, it just so happened to be tied in with this one."

Now it was Aly's turn to be indignant. "You burgled my rooms?" she cried. Then, turning to Severus- "And when did you manage to highjack my fireplace?"

"A while ago. In case of an emergency." he glared at Hannah. "If you were not in Slytherin, I would take _at least _fifty points. For each of you." he added as Alice appeared, also coughing.

"Miss Pelpuper. Do you also make a habit of breaking and entering?"

"No, sir!" squealed Alice. _"Aly!"_

Aly was tackled to the ground in a matter of seconds. Alice was laughing, her voice high-pitched as if she were on helium.

"What's wrong with your voice?" Aly asked, grinning. It sounded so ridiculous.

"Magic mushrooms!" Alice shouted, and cracked up. Hannah shrugged. "That boy she's been with, at the Yule Ball? He's a hardcore prankster. Put something in her pumpkin juice. You should hear Jessica."

Alice exploded in giggles.

Aly stood up. Severus was not pleased. Leaving the three baffled Partons with the two girls, he took Aly by the elbow and tugged her upstairs.

"What is going on down there?"

Aly shrugged. "I didn't invite them."

"My house... is not a tourist attraction. This will be the first and last time that any student has been here."

Aly shrunk back, wondering if that might include her. Severus seemed to realize what he said and rolled his eyes. "Not counting you."

She sighed in relief. "I'll get them out of here... send my family off, and then maybe the girls will come with me to the city. No more visits, I promise."

* * *

**-Val**


	22. Maybe

**Feedback, please?**

* * *

"I'm afraid you have to leave." Aly said, solemn, to her family.

Cass frowned. "What do you mean, _we_ have to leave. Aren't you coming with us?"

Aly winced. "Um...no, sorry. I have to stay with Professor Snape."

Dan scowled. "I don't like him. He's slimy."

Aly felt offended. "Is not. He is a gentleman, if a bit rough. And he-"

Abigail looked uneasy. As if Aly was supposed to agree by default, not defend Snape. "I agree with your father... he seems..." she struggled for the right words, and gave up. Alice and Hannah exchanged uneasy looks. "Look, I don't know if we can trust him. To behave.. to not..."

If she and Snape were not sleeping in the same bed, Aly would have been hurt- her mother didn't trust her. But, under the circumstances, all she could force out was _"Mom", _hoping that calling her that for the first time in a while would be enough to get them away from the topic. But the woman still looked untrusting. "Like I said, he is a gentleman. Not some... pedophile." the words left a sour taste in her mouth.

Finally, the Partons left. Aly allowed herself to take a seat on the carpet, one hand cradling her head. Just then, with another green flash, Jessica tumbled out onto the carpet, coughing. Sitting up, she waved to Aly, but her smile slipped away the second she saw her face.

Alice came over and sat next to her. "Aly..?" she said, her voice the same teeny pitch as before. Hannah's smile faded as she knelt in front of her, hands on knees, and studied her friend closely. Jessica crawled, still sooty, and settled her skirt in a perfect circle around her legs.

"Is that a hickey I see?" she asked, only half joking. Aly tugged up her collar. "Yeah, of course. Definitely a hickey and not a bruise from last night."

"Last night?" Alice squeaked. "What did he... ohmigod Aly what happened?"

Realizing what they were thinking, Aly groaned and shook her head. "I'll tell you later. An accident."

Hannah looked unconvinced "Okay. What's wrong?"

"Well, you saw them. What they were thinking. I'm just... I'm not their daughter anymore!" all of a sudden, Aly felt angry. "They come here expecting me to know their names and personalities and secret handshakes and _WAH_. I'm just not theirs anymore!"

Severus stood at the top of the stairs, listening intently. He hadn't realized just how Aly might be feeling right now, and overall.

"I'm not theirs... I don't know who's I am. Severus? He is so... cold. I feel like he could push me away any second."

Jessica's voice, when she spoke, sounded like McGonnagal. Even the intonation. Aly stared at her. Alice's boy really was hardcore.

"You're _ours,_ Aly." she said, quietly.

Alice and Hannah cracked up. Aly smiled. "Say again?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Aly, you are our one and only. If only you were in Gryffindor... ah, but wait! That would be intervening with your little _affair! _Pardon me! Speaking of which... I want all the details."

"There are no details, and there is no affair."

"Aww, come on!"

Alice howled. Hannah just collapsed, and Jessica laughed in McGonnagal's dry, intoxicating giggle. Aly's stomach was starting to cramp. "S-sorry, but we should get out. Downtown?"

* * *

Aly hadn't realized how much she missed the girls.

"You know..." she said, hand full of french fries. "Muggle food is good, too. I mean, fast food. The normal kind I'm already bored with."

"Mmm." Hannah said, sipping from a coke.

"What I like about their world is the anonymity." Alice admitted. "Like, you could do something, and once you were gone, no one would know. Makes me wonder how Greg's summers go by." Greg was the tall, hardcore-prankster Slytherin of Alice's dreams. And, according to Hannah, he was suffering quite the crush for her. As Hannah talked about Ivan, Alice about Greg, and Jessica briefly mentioned Pierre, the Beaubaxtons boy, Aly was the only one with no romantic stories to tell. She was sure, if she told them everything, they would make it into a much bigger deal than it was, with Jessica lecturing her and Alice and Hannah already making a plan of public exposing.

When Aly saw the plotting glances going around, she felt a knot form in her stomach. "Spit it out."

Hannah, taking it literally, backwashed into her can of coke. Jessica edged away from her. "Eeew. So much for manners."

_"Jess."_ Aly drawled, knowing that the spitting was a distraction technique. Something was up. "What's going on?"

"Actually." Alice said, almost serious. "That's what we wanted to ask you."

"Huh?"

Hannah wiped her mouth with a napkin. "You heard it. You. Snape. Living together. And don't think we didn't see you two sneaking away extra-early at the Yule Ball. Also, we know that you two are on a first-name basis, and I just so happened to notice that you seem to be very comfortable with him touching you. Oh, and the hickey."

Aly blinked. "It is not a hickey."

"Is too. Come on, we know you and him have a thing going!"

"You have no proof." Aly retorted, defiant.

"We do. Otherwise, why would he always be escorting you to your room... and not coming out?" Hannah smiled. "Guilty."

Apparently, they had been sneakier than she expected.

"So. You two already did the deed?" Jessica asked, her face completely calm. Aly felt the whole thing spinning out of control.

Alice was starting to get mad. "Aly. We're like family. We aren't against it. We just want to know, like you know about how Hannah and Ivan have been sneaking away for more than just making out."

Aly blushed. Fine, then. Be it.

"Yes. Yes we have."

Alice and Hannah hooted, and Jessica applauded.

Aly, still feeling strange, refused to go into detail. All she did was assure them (blushing furiously) that yes, he was good, and yes, she was quite sure she loved him. Everything was going okay until Alice said something that made Aly's heart stop.

"Are you using protection?"

Aly choked. Instantly, Jessica's eyes went wide. "Aly!"

She groaned. _Fuuuuuckfuckfuck we forgot._

Or maybe forgot was the wrong word. Pregnancy seemed impossible.

_No glove, no love._

"Okay. Pharmacy. Now. Test." Jessica said, taking a last swig of Sprite and slipping into her coat. "And, for later." she dug through her pockets as Aly shrunk at the thought of what might come up. But no dreaded box or packet showed- only a round, black crystal on a chain. Aly raised one eyebrow. Jessica, of all people?

Jessica blushed. "My aunt sells them from under the counter. I found them, and thought... for later, because they cost... or.." She shook her head. "Whatever!"

Aly, not caring about anything other than where the nearest pharmacy was, slipped it over her neck.

At the store, the middle-aged woman behind the counter seemed baffled as they rushed in, Alice in the lead, to buy a test. Shaking her head in disapproval and fighting laughter at the girl's voice, she handed them one. As Jessica paid, she talked in her McGonnagal voice, making the woman glance at them with wide eyes. "So, Aly, now you don't take that thing off. At all. Or hang it above his bed or something. We no't want to be godmothers so early."

Aly shook he head, her hands shaking. "Do you have a bathroom?"

The confused woman handed her the box and pointer to an "Employees Only" doorway. Aly thanked her and rushed in.

* * *

**Honestly, I don't know. Maybe one stripe, maybe two... ^_^**

-Val


	23. Tails

**WARNING -Today I'm feeling quite devious. **

* * *

When the Parton family came out of the house, police were still waiting inside their cars, impatient.

Ellen, Kaye, and Anne sat on the porch steps, looking cold and bored. Aly's school friends glanced at the trio, curious. Vlad was nowhere in sight.

Kaye was, as always, dressed to make a statement- her hair bubblegum pink, matching her jeans and coat. Shiny black spike heels made Cass wonder how the hell she could walk. It was _winter,_ for God's sake. Ellen was, as always, plain- brown hair, pale skin, black coat, white jeans, black boots. And Anne was somewhere in-between, with purple jeans and a black trench coat. Her blond hair, like the other girls', was all tangled from sitting so long in the wind. Aly's _Professor _was, apparently, not one for kindness or hospitality.

"What happened?" asked Ellen, getting up with a wince. "Where's Aly?"

"She's staying here... she has some friends over."

Kaye squinted. _"We're_ her friends."

Cass shook her head. Her parents were talking to the cops, telling them that yeah, everything was under control, Aly was no longer missing, they should pack up and leave, and she was the one that had to drop the bomb. Aly's friends were very territorial and a bit cruel- a bad mix for a situation like this.

"What the doc said is true. She doesn't remember anything from before when she went missing."

The girls sighed. "But doesn't she at least... doesn't seeing you, or us, ring a bell?" Anne ventured.

"No. I'm sorry, but... it might be permanent."

"No way." Kaye shook her head. "There are treatments for memory loss."

"Hers is a special case."

"So we're strangers now." Kaye's voice was bitter. "Whoop-de-doo."

"I just can't believe she... she replaced us." Ellen sighed.

"Not knowingly!" Anne argued.

"I want to see them. Come on." Ellen jumped off the porch and circled the house, looking through windows. The girls followed her. "Hallway. Hallway. Here."

She was peeking in the living room window, and Kaye, Anne, and Cass were left to follow. The four girls were seated on the floor. An elegant, long-haired brunette in a skirt was saying something as the others laughed. A small, petite blonde howled- they could hear her through the window. The three new girls were all sooty, for some reason. Aly got up and brushed herself off. Then they walked out, into the kitchen, to where Cass guessed the back door was.

"I'm following them. Aly is _ours._" Kaye growled. Cass had never seen her like that -menacing, and jealous. And she was _not_ going to spy on her little sister.

* * *

Watching Aly have fun with someone other than them was more than a bit exasperating. The three girls, seated on the other side of the fast food place, watched the clique gather up their stuff and rush out the door. Walking after them, they talked in low voices.

"Wonder what's wrong."

"They were talking about sex." Anne stated. At the two other girls' strange looks, she blushed. "I read lips. Only one I could always see was the small girl, Alice, I think. First something about the world and anonymity, then she asked Aly what was going on -after Black-Hair backwashed- and then something about how they were like a family and wanted to know." Kaye rolled her eyes, annoyed.

"Then..." Anne raised her eyebrows. "Alice asked if they were using protection. That's all I got."

As the trio babbled outside the pharmacy, waiting for their friend to come out, Ellen was getting increasingly nervous. It was taking too long. "I'm going to go in. See what's going on. She won't recognize me."

Inside, there was quite a commotion. The poor woman behind the counter was glancing back and forth between the four girls crowded around her, confused. Ellen positioned herself by a rack of greeting cards and listened.

"Great." Aly was saying, slightly hysterical. "I'm pregnant. Then I'm not pregnant. Then I'm _in-between._ Is that even a possible result?"

"Yes, if there is not enough human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine, then test results will vary time to time. Better wait a week and try again, although if you got a positive once, you probably are." the salesperson said.

Aly leaned against the counter, shocked. _Say w__hat? _

Jessica took a step forward. "Look... my aunt has remedies." Her voice was that of an old woman. Ellen stared.

Aly's head snapped up. "Remedies? _Remedies?_ You make it sound like it's a disease! It is a _child._"

Hannah touched her shoulder, soothing. "We know. It will be okay."

Ellen felt... empty. She knew what would be happening if Aly were here with them, not these girls. Kaye would be angry. Anne would pretend like nothing was wrong. And Ellen would try to talk off-topic, telling lame anecdotes or discussing what they should do to pass the time. _A movie, maybe? _

These girls were different. They were... caring. Of course, she and Kaye and Anne cared a lot for Aly, but they were not the type to show feelings and go all sweet and huggy on people, even one of their group.

Alice tried to be optimistic. "It's not that bad." she said in her chipmunk voice. "You have options."

The woman edged away, the pretense of privacy and manners.

"What will I tell him... crap. Crap. 'Hey, Sev. Guess what? You knocked me up! Great, right? Now you can lose your job! Isn't it _wonderful?'"_

"You don't have to tell him. Just a suggestion." Hannah said. "I'm with Jessica here."

Aly stared at her. "That's killing."

"No. Look, if you are going to be with him for however long... you will have plenty of time."

Aly shivered. _We have time. _Now, the words were a meager comfort. She couldn't help but wonder if it was a girl or a boy. And what sports they would like. And which would be their strongest subject. _Potions. Duh._

"Let's deduct." Alice squeaked. "You can't keep it. Would raise too many questions, and, I'm sorry, but it is a burden."

Aly hung her head.

"Even if you gave it away for adoption, it would be conspicuous- you would have to be at Hogwarts, and even if you concealed it, no doubt someone would find out."

Jessica and Hannah looked at each other. Alice went on. "So you have to stop it."

Aly sniffled. "I want to go home." She wanted to talk to Severus before she decided anything- he would know, wouldn't he?

Ellen frowned. What home did she mean? Then- _Oh. Of course. The dude that knocked her up. _She frowned. Man/bat hybrids had never struck her as Aly's type.

Jessica gazed at the circle of girls. "You know... This seems so surreal. I have trouble believing that this isn't a dream and you... with him.."

Hannah pursed her mouth. "I will gladly pinch you."

"No thanks. Come on, let's get you home. Pierre gave me an address of a good hotel that we can Floo out of. I don't think Snape would be too happy to share his fireplace with us again."

_Whaaa?__ Pierre? Floo out of a hotel? Sharing fireplaces? _

Aly simply nodded, her eyes distant. "Let's go."

* * *

Standing in front of Severus's house, Aly said goodbye to the girls, none of them noticing the three tails that watched them from the end of the block.

"It will be okay." Hannah said, giving her a somewhat awkward hug. Alice and Jessica smiled in what they thought was an encouraging manner, but actually looked as if they'd gotten a cramp. Hannah snorted.

"Bye. I'll see you in school." _If I live long enough. _

Jessica jumped and started digging through her pockets. Finally, she took out a pen and reached for Aly's hand, scribbling a number. "Call me, if you want to or need anything. Deal?"

"Deal."

Aly walked into the house, her stomach churning, hands shaking, and her knees wobbly and numb.

_Hey. Had a good time, until Alice mentioned condoms and something clicked- I'm pregnant!_

_Hello... I think I want some salty chocolate ice cream. With pickles. And mayo. -wink- Get it?_

_Pregnant women are smug  
Everyone knows it, nobody says it  
Because they're pregnant_ *******  
**

When she knocked on the door, it opened in a matter of seconds. Severus looked at her down his nose... as if he already knew. Aly shivered.

"Come in."

"Sev.."

"Yes?"

Aly bit her lip. She couldn't say it.

"What is the matter?"

Aly shook her head, about to say that it was nothing, when she noticed movement in the living room window. Seeing a flash of pink, she remembered Vlad saying 'Kaye! Kaye, with her pink hair and sparkly eyebrows?'

Aly pretended she was seeing nothing. "Don't look, but we are being spied on. Window. Those girls, my muggle... um, friends, I guess."

Severus looked pissed.

"I'll go out... we can talk on the porch."

"No. Bring them in, I'll put water on to boil."

"Tea? Really?"

"Yes. What is so strange?"

"Nothing, nothing." Aly smirked. "You're losing your touch."

"I am not. Consider it my apology for earlier."

"You _are!_ You're being polite and apologizing."

Severus scowled down at her, obviously starting to regret it. Aly relented. "Fine, you are cold and stony as ever. Pleased?"

"Not quite."

Aly huffed. "Too bad."

Going out, she quietly circled the house, paying no attention to Mary as she sipped something hot from a cup on her porch. Rounding the corner, she came face-to face with three girls- Kaye, Ellen, and Anne. Once again, no mental doorway opened. Zilch. Nada. Just three girls that meant nothing to her.

"Hello there." she said.

The blonde leaned forward and hissed to the mousy brunette- "Ellen, crap, I _told you_ she saw us!"

Ellen rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

Aly eyed them, feeling strange. "Come in. We have food."

* * *

***Garfunkel and Oates- Pregnant Women Are Smug. A stupid song, but I had it stuck in my head(((**

**Now, a bit of a poll- how do you feel about music tie-ins? Not exactly songfics, but putting a song or two that I find fitting into the AN? No, not like the thing we have above, never.**

**-Val**


	24. Not All Reunions End Well

**Ooooh, out of the 12 people that (as of now) read Chap. 23, three left reviews. 25%! Progress!**

**While writing, I had Depeche Mode-Precious on repeat. Love that song. And that voice.**

**Also- Aly is only human. So I know that her little ****speech was quite justified.**

* * *

While, when they were invited in, Aly's family had mostly focused on her, these girls made a point to examine everything.

_Everything._

Which made Aly nervous- the books on the shelves were mostly magical, and the moving portrait of her and Severus dancing... Even if it stayed still, she had a feeling it was not the typical thing for a Professor to have hanging in a place of honor.

So, as fast as she could, she guided the girls into the kitchen. The kettle whistled, and Aly turned off the stove. "Tea, coffee?"

"Sure." said Kaye, looking around. "Nice place."

"Thanks."

"Where is he?"

Aly blinked. That was... head-on. "Upstairs, probably. Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Okay."

The silence stretched. Aly was about to offer cookies when suddenly Ellen burst out- "I can't believe it!"

Aly turned, studying her.

"First you disappear. Like, with no trace. Out of your _locked, windows-painted-shut, eleventh-floor _bedroom. Everyone had given up searching, and we were sure you were dead or sold into slavery or something, but then BAM."

Aly winced.

"We get a call from a hospital. You're hurt, immobile, car crash, bla bla bla. There, a strange dude locks himself in with you in the ICU, and when we practically blow the door down, you're gone. Third story, one exit, one window- locked. And half the bones in your body were broken!"

Aly frowned. That was beyond exaggerating- she had had only a few breaks and some fractures. But still, Ellen had a point.

"Then. We show up at his house cause it's the most logical place to go, he calls your family in, and a half hour later they come out looking like they've seen a ghost. An _army_ of ghosts. Then we see that you replaced us with other girls, who looked like they climbed in through a chimney-"

Aly winced. So, so precariously close.

"-and then you four go out and it turns out the creepy old dude knocked you up! And you _allowed _it."

Aly gasped. Anne and Kaye glared at Ellen, who blushed and looked down.

"I'm sorry." she mumbled.

"It's..." Aly gathered her thoughts. "Whatever. Yeah. Right now I feel like saying 'None of your business', though. I don't care that we were once friends. I don't know you, and I'm pretty damn sure I don't want to."

The three girls sat straight in their chairs, staring at her. She was on a roll now, her eyes brimming with tears at the unfairness of it all as the pitch of her voice rose higher and higher.

"Because you would have to be pretty trashy friends. And, although I have no idea why the past me would have hung out with you, but it definitely wasn't because you're such great company."

Anne looked as if she might cry, too. Kaye, on the other hand, seemed to be getting ready to retaliate. Aly went on, her voice dropping low and getting a bit menacing.

"I don't care what you do or say, just stay the fuck away from me and my friends. And who and how and why knocks me up also does not concern you."

Kaye's apparent tidal wave of retorts seemed to fade, and she looked away, her face nearly matching her hair in color.

Anne stood up, sharply. "How can you be saying this?!" she cried. "We've been together since third grade! It _does _concern us!"

Aly was unfazed. "It would concern you if we were friends, if I gave a shit about who you are and what you think, and if I had memories of my, _our_ past to rely on. Now, all I have is Severus and my _new_ family. Not Dan and Abigail. Not Vlad. Not you, you, or _you._" She said, the last 'you' specifically for Ellen.

"Get out of here." she finished, pointing at the front door.

A tear slipped down Anne's cheek. Aly knew she should feel bad, but all she could think about was how much she wanted to dash up the stairs, curl up in Snape's arms, drift off to sleep and get a few hours away from this madness.

One by one, the girls got up and followed the line of her hand. Kaye, being the last, looked at her over her shoulder. "What have they done to you?"

Aly didn't reply, just pointed again, her cheeks wet. Kaye left without another word, and the second she heard the lock click into place, Aly simply fainted, knocking over a chair.

* * *

Severus, when he heard the door close, felt as if maybe he could finally stop and think about the snippets of conversation that he had, involuntarily, head as they drifted up the stairs. It lasted for all of two seconds, until he heard the crash.

Rushing down the stairs, his mind raced with possibilities of what had caused it.

He expected to see Aly, fuming, ready to smash dishes and burn photographs, but all he saw was an empty kitchen and living room. Returning back to the kitchen, he realized one chair was gone.

Circling the table, he felt his heart skip a beat- Aly lay on the old, yellow tiles, her limbs splayed. Kneeling next to her, he checked for a pulse.

Sighing in relief when he found it, he understood that Aly had lost consciousness, for whatever reason.

Waiting for her to come to, he leaned back against the counter, closing her eyes. The information had come too fast to process, but now something was nagging at him. Frowning, he thought back to the argument.

In a second, his eyes flew open. Staring down at Aly, passed out cold on the floor next to him, he choked.

_It.. she can't be!_

Aly stirred, and he decided that it would have to wait. Completely closing out the maelstrom of thoughts, he picked her up and carried her up to the bedroom, focusing on the details of her face- the paleness, the purplish vein running across her temple, the shape of her mouth, the last traces of the tears.

One of her hands curled around his neck, clammy. He sighed, fighting pity. Pity was weakness, as was any emotion. And he could not have weaknesses... although Aly seemed like one major flaw that he couldn't possibly afford to lose. And definitely he could not rid himself of feelings for her, if he were to keep his sanity.

Laying her on the bed, he was surprised when her eyes opened. "Stay with me. Please."

He lay down next to her, and she cuddled closer, into the crook of his arm. Noticing the slight shake of her shoulders, he drew up the quilt around them, only to realize that she wasn't cold- she was crying.

Unsure of what to do, he just pressed closer to her, entwining their legs, and stroked her back. As, gradually, the shaking faded and Aly fell into a deep, deep sleep, he was left alone with his thoughts.

_I could be a father._

* * *

**Okay, yes, ****cheesy. Strange, but it makes me flash back on Darth Wader's _I AM YOUR FAAAATHEEERR_. In Snape's voice. o_O**

**-Val**


	25. To Escape The Day

**Okay, someone said that if the main character gets pregnant so early on, the story becomes shitty. I am aware, and, like I said before, I'm feeling quite devious. Hint.**

**Ms Mr - Bones. Gets me all goosebumpy. Skip down for lyrics, and, warning, I hate the video. It turns a beautifully creepy, disturbing, and thoughtful song into a porn clip. Just.. don't. Not before reading the chap, at least, ok?**

* * *

Friday morning, Aly woke up alone. Sighing, she thought about her friends, probably already back in Hogwarts. She and Severus would leave sometime on Sunday, she knew, and she wasn't sure if she should be glad or vary. Hogwarts meant friends, but it also meant work, and secrecy.

She had to talk to Severus. Getting up, she padded down the stairs, still sleepy.

He was gone. After checking the second bedroom and the little bench on the balcony, she was sure of it. Shrugging, she got a book from the shelf and settled in his living room chair to read.

He did not return, contrary to what she had expected, in the next hour and a half. Aly was getting nervous. And irritated. Was it really so hard to leave a note?

Giving up on waiting for him before having breakfast, she ate her cereal alone, mentally planning their talk.

Another two hours passed, and now she was worried. More than that, she knew that something was wrong. It was already two in the afternoon. No way Severus would disappear like that. Not without telling her.

On a whim, she reached into the pot of Floo Powder that he kept on top of the fireplace and tossed some of it in, croaking "Hogwarts school of magic, staff quarters, Aly Parton's rooms."

The fireplace burned green. Taking a deep breath, she ran through.

A feeling like falling, and then- soft ashes under her feet. Aly coughed as the green flames faded.

Looking around her living room, she realized that nothing has changed, and she had no idea why she was even here. The logical thing to do would be find the girls, spend time with them. But no. She wanted to check something first. _  
_

Walking out of her rooms and locking the door behind her, Aly turned toward Snape's door. A quick peek through the door frame revealed that it was unlocked. She grabbed the handle and slipped in.

* * *

Inside, Severus calmly read the Daily Prophet in front of a crackling fireplace.

Hearing her come in, he put down the paper and stood up, annoyed. Then, realizing it was Aly, he deflated. _What is she doing here?_

"Hi." Aly locked her hands behind her back, looking nervous. And a bit pissed. "Why are you here?"

Severus considered his options. The truth, that he didn't want to face her, that the spite of knowing she was not happy to be carrying his child was hard to take, was out of the question. But he didn't want to lie to her. _So,_ he thought. _Evasion it is_. "A man can no longer read the news in his own rooms?"

Aly glared. "You know perfectly well what I mean."

"Really."

"Yeah. We need to talk."

Severus drew a deep breath. Evasion hadn't gotten him too far. "About what?" he said, knowing that she thought he didn't know. He _wouldn't_ know, if not for the thin walls of his home.

"Severus, I'm... wait a second. You aren't getting off so easily. Why were you avoiding me?"

"I was not." he lied.

"Were. You can read with equal comfort and silence at Spinner's End as here."

"I needed supplies."

"Are the supplies hidden in the weekly crossword?"

He huffed. "No."

"Then _why?"_

"I heard... yesterday."

Aly took it in stride, jumping ahead. "So you hid from me."

He knew he would regret it even as he was saying it. But he saw no other options. He knew she despised him as it was, for what he had done to her. He had to admit, it was simply unforgivable.

"In a way." he drawled.

Aly drew a deep breath. Opened her mouth, then closed it.

Severus waited, still as a statue, head cocked to the side. He wanted so badly to go to how things were before, with her chatty and carefree, their meager free time spent reading books, or just talking. Not the crazed marathon of events that the winter holidays had turned into, and the two of them no longer close enough to help each other weather the storm.

"I thought maybe we, you could use some time apart."

"And there I was thinking you loved me." Aly murmured, at the same time bitter and emotionless.

She walked out the door, leaving it open. He didn't stop her. He didn't call her back. He couldn't, because his normally calm and focused mind was, again, whirling with in-connectable thoughts.

They, slowly, merged into one that he found hard to believe. She did not despise him. Never had. And he had just, in her eyes, rejected her and the... baby.

Guessing how stressed she must be and what she was capable of when in a mood, Severus dashed out of his room and down the hall. She was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Aly, strangely, was completely calm. Maybe, her most dwelled-on dreams had been broken, more by the assumptions she made as she walked away than anything that he had said. Maybe a logical thing to do would be to scream, cry, threaten. But if she was going to scream, it would be silent.

She just wanted a place where nobody would find her - not that anyone would look, but still. Severus had made it quite clear that he didn't want to see her.

_How could he leave me at a time like this?! _

_You know guys don't like responsibility. _

_He is not a guy._

_Who, then?_

_A... man._

_A swine._

The inner argument ended when Aly's eyes settled on a thick wooden door, propped open. The twisting stairs that lay beyond beckoned to her, a taste of the freedom she knew she would feel at the top of the Astronomy Tower. A way to lose herself in the wind and the white, barren scenery, forget the rest of the world.

Eager, she mounted the stairs two at a time, encouraged as the spiral thinned out, a cold wind rushed past and the light from somewhere up high got brighter and brighter. Finally reaching the cobbled platform at the top, she sighed. A perfectly empty, soulless, but still beautiful way to escape, if only for a little while.

Leaning against the rail as the giant astrological machine quietly creaked behind her, Aly sighed, closing her eyes. The cold didn't bother her -most likely a spell that had been cast, to keep the visitors warm. It had been a long time since she was last up here.

She had loved the tower since she first saw it- a shrine to heights and free thought. Now, she couldn't help but flash to their several midnight astronomy lessons with Severus, some time ago. Those days were gone.

Shaking her head, Aly frowned and opened her eyes. She had come her to get _away, _not remember the good times. Turning, she was completely unprepared to see him standing just a few inches behind her.

Aly gasped. Backed away. Completely forgetting what was behind her, she was soon pressed against the railing. Her mind still numb, she didn't perceive the way her upper body was about to overweigh her legs and send her down, more than a hundred meters to a marble courtyard.

A gust of wind did her in, and just as Severus reached out to stabilize her, she tipped over the edge. From there on, everything happened in a blur- she wasn't even sure _how._ But one moment she was falling, the wind rushing past, then there was a cloud of black smoke that smelled, strangely, like him, and then his arms were grasping hers, pulling her back. Aly screamed as the force of his pull rammed her abdomen into the railing, tipping her over - this time to relative safetey on the uneven stone floor.

Aly lay there, panting, in a heap with Snape under her. He caught her pale face in his huge hands and forced her to look him in the eye. "Forgive me. I just assumed... I supposed that you would not want my child, or..." he faltered. Aly's eyes had lost their terrified glaze and now she looked like she might very well kill him. Afraid that she would get up and leave, he twined his legs around her and drew her closer.

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say." Aly murmured, looking into his eyes and leaning down.

Severus opened his mouth. He'd missed her kiss, although it hadn't been all that long. When she drew away, he studied her face and the way that the sunset glinted in her hair, turning it to coppery gold. "Beautiful." he said.

Aly smiled, overly bright. "You too."

Severus grimaced, and Aly relented. "Fine. _Handsome._ Happy?"

"Quite."

* * *

A long while later, they were startled to hear the echo of footsteps on the steps below them, and humming.

"It must be Filch." Severus said, annoyed.

Aly started to get up, but the second she made an attempt, her lower abdomen exploded with pain. She made a kind of "Aaaaahbwheh" sound and lay back down.

Severus remembered the way he had, in a panic, used all of his strength to pull her back to safety... ramming her stomach and hips against the railing. His heart threatened to jump out. "Aly. The baby... is the baby alright?"

Aly's eyes flew open.

She had no idea.

* * *

**Now, for those of you that know a bit about pregnancy- I know I'm scientifically incorrect in a lot of places, mostly with the time frame and quite a bit with what will happen in later chapters. Excuse my lack of ****research beforehand, and sadly... what's posted is posted, and correcting it would be confusing. I don't exactly have much experience with the subject.**

* * *

Some of the lyrics, for you lazy ones:

dig up her bones  
but leave the soul alone  
boy with a broken soul  
heart with a gaping hole  
dark twisted fantasy  
turned to reality  
kissing death  
and losing my breath

let her find a way  
to a better place  
broken dreams and silent screams  
empty churches with soulless curses  
we found a way  
to escape the day

lost in the pages  
of self made cages  
life slips away  
and the ghosts come to play  
these are hard times  
these are hard times  
for dreamers  
and love lost believers

man made madness  
and the romance of sadness  
a beautiful dance  
that happened by chance  
happened by chance

* * *

**-Val**


	26. Gone

**I'm so glad that traffic is going up and reviews are almost completely positive.**

**Also, about grammar- English isn't my first language, and living in Russia, I get little exposure to it. Like, almost none. I do my best, but often when I look back at what I've written, it's a complete... aaah. Facepalm. So, I'll try. Привет from Moscow!**

**Evanescence- Hello**

* * *

Playground school bell rings- again  
Rain clouds come to play- again  
Has no one told you she's not breathing?  
Hello, I'm your mind, giving you someone to talk to  
Hello

If I smile and don't believe  
Soon, I know, I'll wake from this dream  
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken  
Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide;  
Don't cry

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping  
Hello, I'm still here  
All that's left of yesterday

* * *

Acting fast now -the footsteps were getting louder as the humming got quiet and, eventually, faded- Severus maneuvered Aly around, picking her up. She groaned, clawing at his shoulder. The pain in her stomach was freezing cold, as if a blade of ice had been imbedded in her.

Filch rounded the edge of the stairs and stopped, his stringy hair blowing around his face in the wind, and stared, confused. Severus shook his head and strode off the platform, away from those questioning eyes.

He had to get help, but... Madam Pomfrey, he knew, had a way of knowing everything that was going on in a person's body. And they couldn't have that.

_What, then? Muggle doctors?!_

Aly moaned as he missed a step, reflexively tightening his grip on her.

Through teeth squeezed together, she hissed "Hospital wing, I don't care what happens after."

Severus bit his lip, knowing he had no choice, but still searching for a way out. It wasn't that he was afraid of someone knowing that she was pregnant - they could always say that the child wasn't his.

What he _was_ scared of was watching the nurse work her magic... and not say anything about how she could hear a second heartbeat, or sense the other living thing inside of Aly.

_Stop putting it off and get help._ he told himself, forcing his mind to go silent.

Hitting the bottom of the stairs, he turned a right and ran down the almost-empty hall, the few students he passed stopping in their tracks to stare and continuing on when he scowled at them, never slowing. He just hoped they wouldn't run into one of Aly's friends. They did not need an entourage.

Luckily, he made it there without meeting any of them. Inside the big room, lit by the sun's last rays, Pomfrey fussed over a green-looking girl.

The second she saw him come in, she gasped, her thin hands clapping together. "Professor Snape, what happened?" she asked as she ran forward, the delicate features of her face creased with worry and age.

"She fell and took a hit to the stomach when she landed on a railing with a lot of force." he said, the lie bitter and detailed, to avoid further questioning.

"Oh, my!" Pomfrey gestured at the cot closest to them. As he carefully lay her down, Severus realized Aly was no longer conscious.

Taking a seat on the next bed over, he watched Poppy do her thing. After some time, she was looking quite worried. "Nothing we can't heal, but... damage to the uterus can be dire." for a second Severus held his breath, wondering is she knew.

The nurse continued. "Good thing I'm here. I was just about to go off for supplies. Now, don't take offense, this is standard procedure. You wouldn't happen to know if she was carrying a child?"

Severus sputtered. "No. But that is not something one typically shares with her Professor."

"Well, if she were, I'm afraid the baby would be beyond helping. Matters of the reproductive system are delicate."

Severus felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He was suddenly very glad that Aly wasn't awake to hear this.

_It's over._ he thought, cradling his head in his hands. _G__one._

* * *

When Aly resurfaced from the world of unattainable thoughts and shadows, the first thing she felt was something cold and minty being rubbed into the skin on the front of her hips, every slight movement sending twinges of pain up her spine. She didn't open her eyes as the small hands of Madam Pomfrey kept rubbing the gel in, the coolness penetrating deeper, under her skin and into her bruised muscles.

She, somehow, knew that the baby was gone. Not so much of a feeling- she just _knew. _

_No. That's not true. _

Squeezing her fists, she fought to keep from crying out. This was the very same abortion, except she hadn't _wanted_ it.

_It's still alive, I didn't get hit that hard._

"Just rest." a woman's voice muttered. "Everything will be healed up in a matter of hours."

_Just some bruises. _

Small, quiet footsteps retreated. Aly knew without looking that Severus was getting up from somewhere next to her.

_It's still alive!_

His footsteps walked around her, followed by the slight noise of a curtain being closed.

_Right?_

"I'm sorry, Aly." Severus said.

Aly allowed her face to contort into grief. Even if the pregnancy hadn't been around for long, she had spent so much time wondering about the baby- the gender, the personality, what house it would be sorted into, who it would look like- that it felt as if she had lost a child that's been with her for years. The little boy she had pictured, with black-as-coal hair, brown eyes, and a button nose, now didn't have a chance of existing.

Severus's rough hand touched one of her fists, and she let it relax, still not wanting to open her eyes and see that yes, she really was awake and not pregnant anymore and in the hospital wing.

As tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes, her throat squeezed tight, she wanted to kill. Destroy. But most of all, she wanted to feel Severus's arms around her. See that he also grieved, that the baby had meant something to him, too. She opened her eyes.

In the little space made by the curtain, Snape leaned over her, his eyes sad and his mouth hanging slightly open. Aly whimpered.

"I'm here." he said, quiet so that nobody would overhear. On the other side of the room, Madam Pomfrey clucked, casting pitying glances at the little closed-off rectangle of white cloth. She guessed that maybe Severus _had_ known something.

"We'll get through this."

Inside, Aly allowed herself to be overrun by emotion. In what seemed like forever, the storm quieted, leaving her to face the truth and move on. _The kid__'s gone. No use dwelling on it._

"It's okay." she whispered. "It's better this way."

He shook his head. She was right. They would have had to get rid of it either way, and at least now they had something other then themselves to blame. _Fate is cruel in it's methods._

* * *

Knowing it was useless taking Aly back to Spinner's End, that night Severus packed up her things, took the portraits off the walls - he wanted to hang them in his rooms- and returned to Hogwarts.

Aly was kept sleeping in the infirmary for the weekend, and he stayed with her, making lesson plans for the upcoming classes and dozing in a chair when awakening spells were not enough.

Her friends' visits were mostly short - the girls had a way of coming whenever Aly had just fallen asleep, and, when they did come while she was awake, he gave them privacy.

Seeing the looks on their faces when they left, he realized they had known. Well, of course. But, through the obvious sadness, he could see relief.

He couldn't not agree. This way, Aly hadn't had to make the decision- it was made for her. Which probably saved a whole lot of nerves from being fried alive.

That evening, on Sunday, Aly was finally allowed to move back to her rooms. Then when the students came sailing back, an hour before dinner, she walked down with him to meet them. Not that he was exactly happy to see the mass of giddy kids. In fact, both of them had to try hard not to look at the young, cheery first-years, the sight being too much. One little boy, to her, seemed especially like the child she had imagined.

Aly turned her head, looking up at the Astronomy Tower as the students pooled onto the dock.

* * *

**Short, but there wasn't much left to say. **

**-Val**


	27. Kevin

**January 4th, first day of term.**

**Within Temptation- Say My Name**. **From Kevin's point of view. **

* * *

Say my name,  
So I will know you're back,  
You are here again for a while.  
Oh let us share the memories  
That only we can share together.  
Tell me about  
The days before I was born  
How we were as children.

You touch my hand,  
As colours come alive  
In your heart and in your mind.  
I cross the borders of time  
Leaving today behind  
To be with you again.

We breath the air  
Do you remember  
How you used to touch my hand.  
You're not aware,  
Your hands keep still,  
You just dont know  
That I am here.  
It hurts too much,  
I pray now that soon  
You're released to where you belong.

Please say my name,  
(Do I know you)  
Remember who I am  
You will find me in the world of yesterday.  
You drift away again  
Too far from where I am  
When you ask me who I am.

* * *

On Sunday night, Aly and Severus had stayed up in his bed, silent, looking at each other but not really _seeing_.

Both of them were lost in their thoughts until, finally, the window began to grow to a less intense shade of black and they could justify getting up and preparing for the day. As Severus reviewed their schedule, Aly put on her makeup and robes, reluctant. It was out to be a hard day.

The several lessons crawled by. Every once in a while, Aly would doze off, and then awaken at the scrape of chairs as students got up and left... to be replaced with a whole other batch.

Before their last lesson that day, in the short break between classes, she was sluggishly grading quizzes - only Severus would have a test on the first day- when the Slytherin/Gryffindor first-years came in.

Aly stared from her seat on the right of Snape's desk. The boy she had noticed last night on the dock was here, alone as the other students chattered around him.

She gulped. Maybe it was just the poor lighting yesterday, but she could have sworn he looked even more like the kid she'd imagined her child could someday become, if only she were to keep him.

"Sev?" she murmured, outside the hearing range of the students. "Who is that boy?" she could've sworn she hadn't seen him before, and she always tried to learn all the students' names. There was no way she would've never set eyes on him.

"I don't know." his voice was nasal, as usual. Aly looked from him to the boy. They didn't look too alike, while her imagined child had been a miniature copy of Severus. Still, she knew this was the closest one could get to looking that kid from her daydreams. Which made no sense whatsoever.

"Are you_ sure?"_

He studied the kid. "Yes. He looks like you."

Any frowned. Something tugged at her... Vlad. He had talked about her brother.

_'You have a brother- Kevin. The two of you are inseparable. He turned twelve a few months ago. When you disappeared, he became so different... not the kid he was before.'_

Aly stared. No.

She didn't remember him... he did look a bit like her, but she had no idea why Vlad's voice had come to mind.

As if in a trance, she got up and walked out from behind the desk. The boy was studying his book as if it was some otherworldly object.

_Maybe it is._

The boy hadn't seen her yet- from the moment he walked in, he hadn't even looked around, which was unusual if he was new. Unless he was just too shy.

She stopped at the desk where he sat studying his hands. Aly leaned down- he didn't look up. "Hey there." she said, quiet. Some of the students were glancing at them, curious. She could feel Severus stop writing to look at her.

The boy stiffened. Slowly, carefully, he raised his head. Something in Aly's heart squeezed. He looked just like...

The boy's eyes opened wide, his jaw going slack. Aly frowned. And then, he spoke.

"Aly?"

Aly's frown deepened. "Yes."

He looked like he didn't believe his eyes. "Mom said you were gone."

Aly reeled back. _What?!_

The boy seemed equally shocked. "Is it really you?"

"I'm Aly..." she said weakly. "...Kevin?"

He nodded. Aly was certain now- this was madness. Kevin looked hopelessly confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I... I'm a teacher, sort of."

"And I'm a student. Mom didn't say you were going to be here."

"Maybe she meant it as a surprise." Aly suggested, already quite mad at Abigail. A warning would have been nice.

_Wait a second._ "You can do magic?"

Kevin shrugged. "The letter said so."

"And... you're in Slytherin?"

"Is that bad?" he tugged at the badge on his robe, still staring at her, brown eyes wide.

"Not if you make it bad. I'm in Slytherin too." Aly's head was spinning. She could feel something swelling up in the back of her consciousness, threatening to burst.

Kevin's slack jaw slowly twitched into a horribly sweet, dimpled smile. Aly felt weak in the knees- that smile was supposed to have died with the baby.

Kevin stood up. He was tall, nearly as tall as her, despite being four years younger. All the while, he kept smiling that smile.

When his hand touched hers, Aly felt the thing that had been threatening to surface get a little bit closer to it. Aly shivered. She was about to pull away, anything to stop the sucking and pulling as her memories fought to resurface, when Kevin spoke again. Her brother. "I'm so sorry about what I said that night. I didn't meant it. Do you forgive me?"

Aly fainted.

* * *

Severus had been watching with increasing curiosity as Aly talked to the boy in low tones. She seemed dazed, and he was foolishly happy, smiling as he stood up to take her hand in his. Severus frowned. The boy's lips moved again, and that was when Aly fell.

The boy stared for a second, then kneeled next to her, grasping her hand in his. Severus was there in seconds, shooing him out of the way as he leaned over his apprentice. Staring for a second at the kid, he realized that the resemblance was more than casual- he had Aly's mouth, her brows, even the shape of their face was alike.

On the floor, Aly moved, groaning. As the other students craned their necks to see what was happening, Severus turned to the boy.

"Who are you?" he asked, wanting to be sure.

"Kevin Parton, sir." he replied meekly, still staring down at his sister. "What did I say?"

"What _did_ you say?"

"I asked her to forgive me."

Severus was impatient. "What for?"

"The last night... The night she disappeared." his lip was shaking.

The Professor's mind raced. "And what, may I ask, did you say that night?"

Kevin faltered.

"Come on, boy! Say it!"

His voice shook. "I told her to go wherever it was that she needed to be and to leave me alone."

Severus stared. _Impossible._ Yes, some powerful wizards could perform magic without wands- he could do it. But it took years of disciplined training of the mind and body to take it and not shatter from the force of raw power coursing through them instead of a specially made wand, and few ever reached any noticeable results other than exhaustion.

A wizard child with no wand was almost the same as a muggle one. Someone must have helped him.

* * *

The memories didn't come back all at once. Aly was sure that would have been devastating, for her sanity in the least. Instead, somehow, Kevin's touch and presence had opened that mental doorway that she had been scraping against all this time.

Now, random memories from before her disappearance bubbled up one by one as she lay on the cold, stone floor, eyes closed. Hearing Kevin's voice, she remembered him singing in the shower, coming out and blushing when he saw her standing, leaning against the wall. She had grinned and told him that he had a nice voice, they should get him into the school singing program someday soon. He had blushed even more and said that he would rather sing in the shower than in front of his classmates.

Opening her eyes and seeing the choppy cut of his black hair, reaching down to his earlobes, she knew that it wasn't supposed to be that way- he had insisted that Aly cut it for him, and then refused to go to the salon to get it evened out. Every once in a while, Aly would tell him to sit still and cut back, little by little, so it stayed the same length. Apparently, he hadn't let anyone that wasn't her cut it yet. She smiled.

Severus helped her up and she grinned at him, caught up in the moment. "I remember. I remember!"

He shook his head, frowning. Aly's mood was not to be dampened. "I'll explain the details later, but really. I do!"

Now, even the pregnancy seemed to have a creepily fitting role in all this. She was sure that if she didn't have Kevin imbedded in her mind as the baby that she had lost only yesterday, she might not have remembered him. Something told her her sudden enlightenment was brought on by the collision of her old life as a muggle and her new one as a witch- the central point of the whole thing being her little brother.

Severus, though, did not look happy. He was staring at Kevin with a look that Aly placed to be somewhere between confusion, anger and thoughtfulness.

* * *

**That was unexpected even for me. Strange. I was going to have her revel in oblivion until summer break and Beaubaxton's Academy. **

**-Val**


	28. Catching Up

**About last chapter- I thought it was time Aly had something good (other than the ever-loving Severus and her friends) to hang on to. So Kevin shows up. And it also makes the dead fetus thing a bit easier for her to take and let go of. Good? Bad? Cliche? Too easy?**

* * *

The bell rang and Aly jumped. She had been staring at Kevin as memories, both old and relatively new, fluttered around her head. The way he always insisted on roasting marshmallows in the microwave, the girl that he liked, his habit of tapping out random melodies whenever he could.

Severus glanced at her. "We should start. You teach."

Aly blinked. Teach? She was so used to grading or studying while he went at it, the thought of _her_ doing the teaching was completely alien.

Severus raised one eyebrow. "These are first-years. You can't handle that?"

"I can, but..."

"Blow me away."

Aly scowled. That was unfair. He was the one with the lesson plans!

As he took a seat, she stood in front of the still-chattering class. Clearing her throat, she tried to gather an air of commanding like he always had. Kevin was still grinning at her, the tips of his ears glowing pink. She fought to keep from smiling. _I remember! I actually remember!_

Screwing the lesson plans, she decided to improvise. The first lesson was just reviewing material passed in the last few months, anyways.

"Silence." she called. "I know it's the last class of the day, but if you don't hang in there, next lesson's test will bring a whole lot of bad grades. We don't want that. So, open your notebooks. New page. We're going to go through the last couple of potions we covered..."

As she continued on, she allowed herself to be sucked into the lesson, forgetting everything other than the task at hand. The peace that came with it surprised her. The students listened, captivated, as she sprinted through the material, page by page. She even saw a few of them taking notes, calling for her to slow down and wait for them. Aly grinned. Kevin was scribbling awkwardly with a brand-new quill, his hands already stained and his paper a mess of blobs and runs.

For the first time ever, she really understood how one could be a teacher and love it.

Severus sat at his desk, watching Aly pace in front of the class as she talked away. He knew he had never been like that- when he was first invited to teach, he was young and freshly heartbroken by Lily's death.

_Lily..._ slowly, he knew, he was moving on. It had been weeks, maybe months since he last thought of her. _Does not mean it doesn't hurt._

Aly went on, so caught up in the rush of cramming the class for the test that she didn't realize they were out of time until the bell rang. Sighing, she looked out over the room. "For Wednesday's test, read chapters twelve to sixteen."

As the class ran out, shouting, Kevin stayed behind.

"So." he said. "That was hard."

"You'll catch on. We can study today. And tomorrow. Anytime. I want you to tell me what you've been up to." Aly turned. "Professor, I'll see you at dinner. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Severus waved them off, lost in his own thoughts. Shrugging, Aly led Kevin out into the Dungeons hallway.

"He's scary." Kevin whispered.

Aly smirked. "That's how he wants to seem. It's his... signature. So, don't be surprised if he seems to despise you."

He looked unconvinced. "Why are you here? Tell me what happened."

Aly sighed. "So, in early September I was found somewhere on school grounds by Snape. He brought me in, and it turned out I've lost my memory. _Completely._ Everything was so strange, at first. You've been to the Sorting Hat?"

He nodded. "Smelly."

"Maybe. Well, it didn't sort me into a house like it's supposed to- it picked me to be Snape's apprentice. A helper. At first, we didn't exactly get along, but he grew on me."

Kevin was still dubious. _"That_ guy?"

"Yes. Amazing, isn't is? Anyways, we tried to get my memory back, but nothing worked."

They were now at the top of the dungeon stairs. Kevin kept staring at her, occasionally reaching out to brush his hand along her robe, making sure she was real and he hadn't gone completely crazy.

His sister went on. "At first, I was always very tired, so I didn't make much friends. Did get some enemies, though. But now I've met these three girls... they're great. Also Slytherin. Do you know about the Triwizard Tournament?"

He shook his head. As Aly launched into a description with all the details, she led him to the staff quarters.

"This is where the staff lives. My door, Snape's door. Come to me anytime. Just knock. _Always_ knock. If I'm not there, I might be with Snape, so ask him. Knock, too. He gets pissed. Last resort- classroom. Knock." the last thing she wanted was Kevin walking in on a delicate moment.

"Okay."

Aly unlocked the door. Kevin surveyed the space with wide eyes. "Cool... all I got was a smelly bed with a torn curtain and an empty treasure chest."

"Too bad. But I heard the conditions get better as you get older."

Kevin brightened a little. "I hope."

Entering her bedroom, Aly was surprised to see that her trunk had been unpacked- a spell of Severus's, no doubt. She allowed herself a small smile. "Where was I? Oh, right. So, since I'm his apprentice, I went to stay with him for winter break. We just came back a few days ago."

Saying it like this as if her entire experience at Hogwarts and Spinner's End had been one continuous joyride. Sitting in one of the two chairs by the window, Aly gestured for Kevin to sit. "Now, what about you?"

"When you left, nothing new. Everything was boring. Then, a few days ago, Mom and Dad and Cass left me for a while, and while they were gone -I don't know where- an _owl_ flew in through the window and dropped a letter in my lap. Then it left." he reached into his cloak, taking out a battered piece of paper. Aly took it, examining the words that were carefully written in emerald green ink.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL __of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY _

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_  
_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_  
_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Parton,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted  
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. _

_Next term begins on January 4. We await you at Diagon  
Alley on January 3. Bring nothing, parents are __allowed._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall_  
_Deputy Headmistress_

"They also sent me a map. I left a note and went on my own... there was this huge dude with a beard."

"That's Hargid. Groundkeeper."

"He said that all has been paid for and took me around... it was awesome!" and he launched into a full-scale description of what seemed like every shop on the street, gesturing wildly, his face alight as she sun started to set. As Aly brushed her hair, he continued, occasionally stopping to look out the window. When he ran out of steam, Aly sighed.

"You'll love this school, I just know it. The good and the bad."

* * *

**Yaaaah. No song, since not much happened. **

**-Val**


	29. Take Me

**50-review anniversary, let's all celebrate! -puts on a party hat and runs circles singing "Bones"-**

**Actually, I've found another equally creepy song- Dope Stars, Inc. - Kiss (London After Midnight Cover). Not really tied to the chapter, only a bit. The chorus rocks *o*, but the original version is a bit too... tame.**

* * *

_Take me!_  
Take me in your arms, my love, and_ rape me!_  
Don't hide behind your rage I know you _love me_  
And _always will_

* * *

After telling Kevin as much about the school as she could muster at the time being, Aly folded her hands in front of her, all business. "You've skipped a bit. We'll have to study hard... let's start with Potions. My favorite subject, obviously."

Mentally, Aly kicked herself for continuing to dwell on her baby. Moulding Kevin into the shape of the kid she'd imagined was, in the least, selfish.

_He'll like Potions!_ a part of her mind screamed, and she knew it was true - Kevin's science fair projects always won first or second place - but still. As she went on to tell him about the brews that the first-years had passed at the beginning of the year, she felt guilty.

Time seemed to fly by, and in what seemed like ten or so minutes, the bell for dinner rang. Aly smiled, her stomach rumbling. In the first half of the day, neither she nor Severus had been in the mood for breakfast or lunch, so they had holed up in the classroom as most of the school's inhabitants crammed into the Great Hall.

She had heard that start-of-term dinners were delicious.

"I'll have to go up to the staff platform. My place is there." she told her brother as they navigated the halls, which were nearly empty. Most of the students had probably come some time earlier, eager to fill their stomachs.

"Why didn't I see you at breakfast? Or lunch?"

Aly decided one more little lie wouldn't hurt. She couldn't have her disguise of a perfect Hogwarts life be ruined. "Professor Snape and I were working on a very unstable potion.. we had some food brought to us."

That was part true- he _had_ been brewing something powerful, refusing to tell her what it was as he tossed in highly dangerous and very expensive ingredients, like the hair of a unicorn and salmon's tooth. He wouldn't even let her get within five feet of the little pot set up on a collapsible burner in a far corner of the room.

The boy seemed to take it without question. _You're being paranoid. Kevin trusts you._

Aly winced. Lying was not fun, not when the person she was lying to was a sweet, cute-as-a-button boy like him. Her own flesh and blood.

The doors to the Hall were propped open as ghosts sailed through the air, most of them happy to see the students safely returned.

David, a touchy, weepy-waily young man had once declared that students' days away from school were the most boring, _lifeless_ (ha-ha) days of his death. Aly liked David- he stuck to the Dungeons and had quite a story, which he told to anyone who asked- including her. Unlike most other ghosts, he actually seemed to _like_ to talk about the circumstances of his death.

'Fifty three years ago...' he had sighed. His voice was like the wind at the top of the Astronomy Tower, sometimes breathy, sometimes a desperate howl. 'I got in a fight. Unreasonable, really. And quite ironic that I won, broke the poor boy's arm, but then slipped on a patch of moss and impaled myself on one of the old Potions Professor's outdated tripods, with their steel legs all broken and sticking out at strange angles.'

Aly had stared at the spot where he pointed. It as empty now, but she thought she could almost see shadows flickering to show glimpses of a sad scene- blood pooling, an older student shouting, Professors arriving, the body being dragged off the stack of metal. She shivered.

David continued. 'At first, I had no idea what was holding me back. I was not afraid of death... only a little. But who isn't? Then, when she arrived, I thought that I finally _knew._ I fell in love.'

His misty eyes stared at the hallway stretching out into the distance, as if he was somehow transported into the long-gone past, seeing _her_ walk the stone passage. Aly twitched- it was touching, yes, but also unnerving. David spoke in a few seconds.

'But it was not to be... my dead, moldy heart was rejected, again and again. I despaired. I would have killed myself, but alas, I'm already dead. Quite clearly.' he dropped up to his neck into the ground. 'She grew up, got married. And now...' his eyes brimmed with cloudy-gray tears. 'I am here... forever. And the mystery of my remaining in this world still unsolved. Perhaps, I serve a bigger purpose in the future..'

Aly snapped back to reality when they entered the Hall, the noise that had been somewhat subdued before now overwhelming and loud.

"Okay." she said to Kevin. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night." he said, staring at her. "Please never disappear again. I love you."

Aly smiled, her eyes watery. "I love you too."

With a wave, he turned off to the right and she continued on, toward where her and Severus's big chairs were the only ones left unoccupied on the raised platform. She frowned. He was never late.

Taking a seat, Aly surveyed the room. Hannah, Alice and Jessica waved to her, looking worried- they didn't know about Kevin yet. Waving back at them, she looked for Kevin and found him surrounded by a bunch of red capes.

Aly clenched her teeth- she had completely forgotten the Durmstrangs and Beaubaxtons- as her eyes settled on Vlad, who was poking Kevin as if to make sure he was real, and memories started bubbling up to the surface, uncalled-for and unstoppable. She couldn't look away or even force her eyes to close- they were clouded by visions of the past. Their past.

Flowers. Afternoon walks.

Cotton candy, the London Eye.

Westminster Abbey, Newton's statue, brownies.

Painting her room, holding hands, kissing. Sunlight on the bed. Laughter. A red, hoodless car. Country music wafting through the streets. A bicycle race. Vlad, among the first. Cheering.

Christmas, huddled together by the fireplace. Wood smoke and carols. A red velvet box- one half of a black heart on a chain. Fire. Warm, comforting. Mints.

Popcorn.

A dark movie theater.

Clapping.

Kiss.

Hug.

Home.

Alone.

Bed.

Cuddle.

Kiss.

Sweater.

Jeans.

T-shirt.

Sweat.

Kiss.

Covers.

"Aly?"

Finally, Aly was able to break her mind away from the flashbacks and slam back into her chair, eyes squeezed shut. She didn't want the past. She wanted the _now._

_"Miss Parton." _Seveus said, again.

Aly opened her eyes. Nothing had changed- the teachers kept chatting, the students kept shouting. Only now he was sitting in the chair next to her, scowling. "What is the matter?"

She shook her head. _Nothing._

Her lips moved, but not much of a sound came out. Severus frowned. Aly tried again. "Nothing."

"You're sweating."

"I'm... just some more memories."

He nodded, the curve of his brow implying that he wanted specifics. Aly resigned. Lying to Kevin was a necessity, lying to Severus was withholding information that he had at least some claim to. Leaning closer, she whispered in his ear.

"When I saw Vlad, I started remembering our relationship..." Severus was already looking a bit off. Aly plunged deeper. "I feel so confused. I love you. More than him. But..."

"Always the but." he said, bitter.

"I feel so... split. As if, when I forgot, the old Aly stayed frozen, and a new one was formed. New way of thought, new outlook, new life. And now, it's like those two Alys are struggling for hold. I can't let go of one to favor the other, but fitting both of them in is just so... _impossible. _And Vlad... I don't want to hurt him."

Something changed in Severus's eyes, and Aly realized what he must be thinking. "Don't go there. I'm not leaving you anytime in this lifetime. Or the next."

"But will you leave him?"

"I can always try." she said, offering a faint smile, a useless attempt at reassurance. She wanted the privacy of their rooms, so that she could tell him in ways better, simpler and far more easier than words. "I can't wait to get back to our rooms." she murmured, so that only someone a few inches away could hear. "Something tells me it will be wonderful."

* * *

After Dumbledore spoke and the feast was officially started, Aly and Severus dug in, ravenous. Last night, the students had been sent to bed without too much time spent dallying, all of them having stuffed themselves full of sweets on the train. Dinner was staff-only and not exactly exquisite. Blood-red sausage and a lot of salads.

Finishing, they quietly left through the back door - located behind the platform and mostly unused. Aly was smirking as she led the way through the deserted hallways, planning a night of forbidden pleasure.

Locking the door to her room behind them, she pointed at the bed and went to change into her Yule Ball underwear, wanting to show that it was _him_ she loved, even as memories of how close to having sex she and Vlad had come kept bubbling up.

_Maybe you did..._ something whispered.

Did not. She was sure. Mostly.

Pushing it to the back of her mind, the opened the bathroom door and strode out, the night outside illuminated by a full moon, the falling snow intensifying the light so she could actually see Severus lying on top of the covers, looking at her as she walked over.

"Giddy up." she whispered, grinning.

* * *

**Writer's block, and the end-of-the-year examinations, are going to make it harder to be as consistent as I've been trying hard to be. Sorry!  
Physics tomorrow, and Russian on Monday. If I don't come back, I am in hiding, trying to conceal my failure. Wish me luck, and...**

**TAKE ME take me in your arms my love and RAPE ME don't hide behind your rage I know you LOVE ME and aaaaalwaaaaaaays wiiiill**

**-Val**


	30. We Have Time

**Skip down for Chapter 30.**

**Also- Kevin looks exactly like young Severus in the movie adaptation, where he and Lily are under a tree or something... **

* * *

**Sorry, but this is not a chapter. Yes, yes, I am cruel. Having survived Physics (with the formulas Sharpie'd onto my nail polish) I now have to study for Russian, and since I'm too tired to write anything too good right now (and it will stay like that for a few more days), I thought I would go over my old chapters and retouch them (so many typos, and repetitions, and plot mistakes. Ew. I'm ashamed.)**

**So, please wait. Just a few days. Then back to moving on, forward. **

**A song, for the time being- A Perfect Circle- Passive. (Vlad's POV)**

**I'm still making it a trademark of mine to use the more... ****_strange_**** songs. Like 'Bones' and 'Kiss' (Take me) BTW, any suggestions?**

* * *

"Dead as dead can be," the doctor tells me  
But I just can't believe him, ever the optimistic one  
I'm sure of your ability to become my perfect enemy

Wake up, and face me, don't play dead, cause maybe,  
Someday, I will walk away, and say, "You disappoint me,"  
Maybe you're better off this way

Leaning over you here, cold and catatonic  
I catch a brief reflection of what you could and might have been  
It's your right and your ability  
To become my perfect enemy…

Wake up (we'll catch you!) and face me (come on now!),  
Don't play dead (don't play dead)  
Cause maybe (because maybe)  
Someday I'll (someday I'll) walk away and say,  
"You disappoint me,"  
Maybe you're better off this way  
Maybe you're better off this way  
Maybe you're better off this way  
Maybe you're better off this way  
You're better of this; you're better off this;  
Maybe you're better off!

Wake up (why can't you?) and face me (come on now!),  
Don't play dead (don't play dead)  
Cause maybe (because maybe)  
Someday I'll (someday I'll) walk away and say,  
"You fucking disappoint me!"  
Maybe you're better off this way

Go ahead and play dead  
I know that you can hear this  
Go ahead and play dead  
Why can't you turn and face me?  
Why can't you turn and face me?  
Why can't you turn and face me?  
Why can't you turn and face me?  
You fucking disappoint me!

* * *

Vlad watched the two slip out of the Hall, his mind reeling.

Aly had looked at him, but that wasn't what made him feel like this.

Something had seemed to snap into place behind her eyes, as if his Aly, his girlfriend, had suddenly come back from the dead. He wasn't even sure how he could tell the two Alys apart, but, somehow, he knew that he could.

She had remembered.

Even the surprise of seeing Kevin at Hogwarts slipped away as a chasm of endless possibilities and expectations opened up in front of him:

They could be together again. They had nothing to hide from each other. They could go back to those days when hugs and kisses were a thing of habit, when she actually _knew_ the past they shared. So many years of a perfect relationship.

Well, they were _possibilities,_ and when he took the Professor into account, Vlad realized that Aly's reincarnation -he couldn't not think of it as one- might make things worse. _Far worse._ He was quite sure that there was something going on between those two... and a creeping doubt made him wonder who she would choose, if faced with the problem head-on. Maybe the security of the past.

But Aly had never been too fond of security, losing sight of the concept almost a year ago as the world spun out of control around her, too many things happening too fast and in too harsh of a succession.

Robert's death, Jane's disease, her parent's crumbling relationship, the void opening up between her and Kevin. Yes, most of those problems had been solved and were now faded to mere memories, but they left his little, happy girl untrusting and taking desperate measures to keep everyone she loved together- on the same wavelength, in the same house and in the same city. She never failed. And, in a way, her disappearance had given her fiends and family a new reason to stick together and hold on to each other- they all had a common problem to focus on, and a look at how easily a loved one could vanish, with no warning whatsoever.

And Snape...

Vlad shook his head. He would have to let her figure it out herself. That's what she would want.

_A poor attempt at modern chivalry... but it will have to do._

* * *

The next day's classes passed in anticipation of seeing Kevin again, and, maybe, discovering more buried memories. Over the course of a few hours, she found the little bits and pieces forming into a more-or-less complete image of her and Kevin's time together, as far back as her mind would go. None of those memories touched unconnected topics, though- no mention of their parents, or Vlad, anywhere. _No trigger, no remembering. Simple as that. _

But it wasn't simple. Blurred globs in places of un-triggered faces, warbled voices, indistinguishable words and unknown context left her confused as ever. She wanted more, to snatch every reachable memory and hold it close, cherish every second that she could flash back to.

The question of Vlad, though, she wanted to avoid. She knew she loved her Professor. She would keep loving him. But the mere _thought_ that she would have to share her feelings for him with someone else made her feel traitorous.

_You can run, but you can't hide._ She would have to face up to it eventually. Just... not so soon. She needed time to settle in with this new reality, figure everything out, untangle her thoughts, and _then_ Vlad could be dealt with. Aly winced.

_I'm thinking of him as an unpleasant task. Think of what it's like for him!_ she told herself, guilty. Maybe she was stuck, but he had, in all likelihood, been in a rut ever since she disappeared.

She imagined what it would be like if Severus went missing and was surely dead.

_I would..._ 'Die' was too strong a word. She had Kevin. He needed her. She had friends, and, in some ways,_ they_ needed her. But she would be shattered. Broken and stranded from reality. Good as dead.

* * *

After Kevin's daily lesson was over, Aly sent him off to socialize and decided to meet with Hannah, Alice, and Jessica. It seemed like forever since they'd last talked- in fact, the last time was in the infirmary, when she tearfully told them about the child's death. Now, it seemed like something so _surreal_ and unrelated to her. As if it had happened to someone else, in an overly-tragic book.

She should be grieving. She should be dwelling. She _knew_ she should, if even a little. But all she could think of was Kevin, how he looked just like her, and how she loved him... as if _he_ was her son. In a way it was weird, but she couldn't help it.

She found the three girls much sooner than she expected. In fact, they nearly knocked her off her feet as she ascended the Dungeon stairs, David trailing behind her. He was in a good mood, whistling a sad tune as he followed her.

Her three friends yelped and hugged her when they realized whom they had crashed into. David's song stopped abruptly- he wasn't too fond of intruding - and with a quiet "Good night, ladies.", he faded into the darkness.

Aly let herself be caught up in the mass of whirling bodies and be herded up to her room. There, they all settled around her bedroom- Jessica and Alice by the window, Hannah on the bed, and Aly spread out on the rug by the fireplace. For a few seconds, all was quiet.

"Well, well." Hannah said. "I hear you've got a whole lot of things going on."

Aly shrugged. "Yes. I guess you know about Kevin, and Severus, but..."

Alice raised one eyebrow.

"Well, since I realized who Kevin was, memories now come whenever something triggers them. And yesturday at dinner, I saw Vlad, and..."

As she went into all the details of the flashbacks, and what she though about it, and how Severus had been oddly quiet all day, and how he refused to even look at Kevin or Vlad and, often, her, Aly found herself wondering how things could be even more complicated- and instantly realizing that there was quite a lot of reasons why her situation wasn't half as bad as it could've been.

She could have still been pregnant. Severus could be ignoring her completely. Vlad could be there right now, prodding her limits. Kevin could have mental baggage, problems she couldn't even hope to solve without getting her memories back fully.

Once the girls were convinced that yes, of course everything would be fine, in time, someday soon, they started to tell her all about what had happened since they last talked. Jessica and Pierre were officially in love. Alice had dumped Greg after he put a fake cut-off hand in her soup, spelled to smell and crawl with flies. Her and Jessica's voices were now back to normal, which Aly thought was a relief. Hearing one of your best friends talk like one of the more feared Professors was a bit creepy.

Hannah and Ivan were also going full swing, spending hours holed up in alcoves and long-forgotten nooks. Aly couldn't help but grin as Alice described the many times they'd been caught.

Maybe she had problems to deal with, but for the time being, they could wait.

_We have time._ Aly smirked.

* * *

**-Val**


	31. World So Cold

**December 6th**

***Three Days Grace - World So Cold**

* * *

Aly woke up alone in a cold bed, the morning outside her window still looking very much like night. She groaned. Class. Papers. Grades. And they were only three days into the rest of the year. Wonderful.

Something must have woken her. A noise- she remembered now. The click of a lock. Aly sat up, looking around. Maybe she wasn't alone after all.

No one was there, and nothing was out of place. Shaking her head, Aly started getting ready for the day. Severus had managed to leave in the middle of the night, which was unlike him. And hurtful; because she could think of no good reason for it.

Only when she was heading to the door did she see the sheet of paper on the table by the window, with a small velvet bag attached.

_Today is your day off. Spend some time in Hogsmeade- there is money in the bag.  
-Professor Snape_

She gritted her teeth. Day off? Hogsmeade? Yeah, right. Aly stormed out of her room, not bothering to lock the door, the offending note still in her hands.

* * *

In a way, Severus knew he was fooling himself, riding on the hope that she would go off to the village and he wouldn't have to meet her for a few hours longer. Because it had occurred to him last night, as she slept by his side, that something had to be done. By him, since he was the intruder in her relationship with Vlad, no matter that she didn't remember most of it. Once she did, she would want out.

Sitting at his desk in the dark, empty classroom, he sighed. A sleepless night had left him worn out and achey. Another reason for his planned actions- he was too old. Thirty-six was no age to be involved with a seventeen-year-old girl.

And Lily. He had sworn, at one point, to stay loyal to her.

But most of all- Aly. She would be better off without him. They would reunite with Vlad, eventually. Get married, have two adorable, drooling kids and wall-to-wall carpeting in their apartment. The fact that there had been another "we", another child, another man, would fade and be forgotten.

And his heart would continue to be dark and frozen, with no Aly there to take him in her arms and make it all go away.

The door burst open, and a red-faced Miss Parton flew in. Snape grimaced. It would have to be done now, and then she would be far away, hopefully far enough for both of them not to care.

"This is the most badly formulated excuse to avoid me ever made. I suppose you have an explanation." she said, sliding the note in front of him as she leaned on the desk.

"I do."

He stood up, his stomach seething with nerves and his hands shaking slightly. "This has to stop."

Aly blinked. "What?"

"This." he waved his hand between them. "Us. We. Whatever. You will leave for Beaubaxtons this evening."

His mind was blank, the words coming out of his mouth not his, the full meaning refusing to settle in his heart.

"You.." she choked. Severus tried not to acknowledge the moisture in her eyes, the redness of her nose. "Don't leave me." she whispered, her voice cracking. "I love you."

He gulped. "Do not speak of what happened ever again. Not to me, not to anyone, Miss Parton. Especially not to me."

Aly nodded, too numb to register the whole situation.

"Will you come to say goodbye this evening?"

"I have work to do. So, no. This is goodbye. You will be at Beaubaxtons for some time, at least until the end of the school year. Go. Pack. You're wasting my time."

* * *

Aly left. Her knees were shaking. And her hands. God, she was freezing. Was the heating even on? Maybe it had to do with the fact that she was in the Dungeons, surrounded by tons of stone. Alone. She knew she would meet no one at this hour, only the occasional ghost and sweet silence. She wanted to run, so fast that she would leave the cold and the pain behind.

She tripped, and instead of running, she ended up curled up in the fetal position in some far-off corner of the underground maze that was obviously not very well traveled, even by ghosts- the light of the torch that hung next to the stairs had faded as she walked, the darkness consuming what was left, until she was lying on the cold, cold floor, shrouded in utter blackness.

Aly didn't know how long she had been lying there, her mind blank and her limbs frozen stiff. She only knew that she had heard numerous bells, and hordes of students piling into the classroom far away, and then nothing. Classes must have been over, but she didn't want to go. The solidity of the ground felt too good, as if without it she would be completely stranded.

Some time later, she heard the howl of David's song. He was in one of his moods, when nothing could console him and he was left to wander for hours, days, sometimes singing, sometimes crying tears of mist, sometimes lying on the ground, as Aly did now, and wailing.

He was getting near.

*"I never thought I'd feel this  
Guilty, and I'm broken down inside  
Living with myself,  
Nothing but lies

I always thought I'd make it,  
But never knew I'd let it get so bad  
Living with myself  
Is all I have

I feel numb  
I can't come to life  
I feel like I'm frozen in time

Living in a world so cold;  
Wasting away  
Living in a shell with no soul;  
Since you've gone away  
Living in a world so cold;  
Counting the days  
Since you've gone away...  
You've gone away"

Aly caught her breath. It was beautiful, his grief. Fifty-three years of death, and still his wounds weren't healed.

"David." she whispered. His howl lessened, and then he was kneeling next to her. "How do you manage?"

"I've told you this before, Aly. If I could kill myself, I would. But really... I do what you are doing right now. Numb myself away from reality. The Professor hurt you again, didn't he?"

"You know perfectly well what happened." she whispered, staring up at his face.

"But do you?"

"No."

"He left you."

"No."

"Yes, Aly. You have to face it. You're still alive, and you have options. I don't. You know, it's been exactly fifty-four years. Nineteen thousand, seven hundred and twenty-three days."

Aly sniffled. "I don't want this."

"He is a complicated man."

"So?"

"He has his reasons. You know, maybe he's right."

Aly felt as if she had been slapped. "Don't say that."

"He is. You're better off this way than in his arms."

"David..."

Aly was suffocating. Freezing as David's hand cupped her face. He leaned down, kissed her forehead. "I'm dreadfully sorry to break it to you, my love, but there is nothing you can do."

She was on fire with the cold. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move.

"You know, you look just like her."

Aly's vision was blurring.

"Wizards can choose to become ghosts, Aly. Promise me that you will come back, alive or dead."

Aly wasn't sure if she even heard him correctly- she was too far gone into unconsciousness, and sinking farther still.

"Sleep tight. I'll watch over you, even though you are not mine to watch over."

* * *

Severus was starting to worry. Evening could not come fast enough, when Aly would travel via the Floo Network to the French academy. Hopefully, he could keep himself away from her until then. After she had departed... it would be all too easy to make himself believe that she didn't exist.

It was good enough to simply hole up in his classroom, until he heard voices arguing right outside the door, too many to ignore. He listened. Filch. Several girls, none of them Aly. A ghost- David.

"Why won't you tell us?" someone wailed. "We need to see her. Kevin's hurt."

Severus felt dread creeping up on him.

Filch hissed. "Ghosts have no authority in this castle."

David's singsong, windy voice replied. "She is perfectly fine, but it would be better if she were left alone."

Severus opened the door. "What is going on here?"

"We can't find Aly, Kevin has a concussion." one of Aly's three closest friends whined.

"I'm sure she is in her rooms, packing."

David was looking at him with something between horror and rage. Snape raised one eyebrow.

"Come." the ghost hissed.

He flew off down the hall, deeper into the Dungeons, forcing them all to follow.

When he saw Aly, illuminated by the spirit's light, Severus wanted to curse and shout at her and kick something. Instead, he spoke. "Miss Parton, have you no better place to sleep?"

She didn't move, and a coil of dread started to unfurl in his gut. "Leave, all of you." he growled. Filch shuffled away, gripping two of the protesting girls by the arms and leaving the third to follow. When they were far enough away, Severus knelt. Hesitantly, he put a hand to Aly's forehead.

"You are so, so very lost, Professor." David said.

"Why do you say that?"

"She will die without you. You refuse to believe me, but I will be proven right."

"She will not die."

"She will wither."

"She will not wither."

"She will fade. She will be depressed. She will not stop dwelling. She will try, and you will push her away, and then she will want out. She will do something stupid."

Severus shut him out. What did a ghost know of grief? He didn't know the story of this particular Dungeons hermit, but it was probably not even worth knowing.

David faded into the dark, leaving Severus to carry Aly up to her rooms. Placing all the blankets he could find over her unmoving form on the bed, he started to pack.

* * *

Quite a few people came to see her off. The Durmstrangs. Alice, Jessica and Hannah. David. Kevin, already recovered.

Aly was still numb with pain, so all she could really do was hug her brother and watch as her trunk disappeared in green flames. Severus had not come. Biting back her feelings, she stepped through and was gone.

* * *

**-Val**


	32. You've Got Mail

**This is sorta a new way of writing from me, so... kind of exciting)**

* * *

The Rasmus- Ten Black Roses

Life is like a boat in a bottle  
Try to sail, you can't with no air  
Day by day it only gets harder  
Try to scream but nobody cares  
Through the glass you see the same faces  
Hear the voices fade like a drum  
When your life's a boat in a bottle  
You're surrounded, drifting alone

Don't leave me now  
Stay another day  
With me

When you're sad, and no one knows it  
I'll send you black roses  
When your heart's dark and frozen  
I'll send you black roses

Far away we wait for each other  
I'm still on that road to nowhere  
Kiss yourself for me in the mirror  
Tie a black rose into your hair

Don't lose your faith  
Share another night  
With me

When you're sad, and no one knows it  
I'll send you black roses  
When your heart's dark and frozen  
I'll send you black roses

Ten black roses

* * *

January 8th

Dear Severus,

I hope you get this letter. And, although I know you won't reply, I can almost imagine what you look like as you're reading this.

Well, Beaubaxtons sucks. Not much use in telling it all to you, but, shortly, I spend most of my days with the Potions Professor. He's strange. As in, creepy. I'm sure if I talked to the students, I would hear all sorts of rumors. But the student body is so freakishly stuck-up. I don't talk to anyone much, other than Monsieur Picidaly. And that isn't exactly pleasant- his mustache shakes when he talks, and his accent is horrid. As if his mouth is full of food or something.

You know, I wonder if you even care, just the tiniest little bit. It was very cruel of you, to do what you did. I often think- why the hell am I still here? Wishful thinking, I guess, and the hope that maybe all's not lost. I wish we could just retrace, to wherever things went wrong. It was Vlad, wasn't it?

Oh, this is pointless. Just know that I love you. Picidaly has been asking, lately, if I have a 'young man' of my own. I said yes, he is wonderful. Most of the time.

Most of the time?

Yes, Monsieur, most, but not all. Lately, he is quite irrational.

Really?

Yes. After all, he did send me off to rot in this hell-hole. On my own. After having basically told me that he wants nothing to do with me. Very depressing, so I've been considering this one ghost's suggestion that I die and come back as a spirit. Fun, right? Exactly. I'm sure being dead is great fun. Why, sir, you look pale. Something wrong?

Actually, he is very scary. In the way that an insane pedophile with a shaky mustache is.

Please come back for me, Severus. I can't stay here for much longer. Tomorrow Picidaly will start trying his potions on me, so I'm afraid of what might go wrong. Who knows, maybe he'll drug me and rape me and then blame it all on menstrual cramps?

-Aly

* * *

January 9th

Well, I'm alive. More or less. I can't breath through my mouth and my left leg isn't working and my hands are shaking and I just threw up, but otherwise I'm perfectly well.

Don't you realize that I can't go a minute without something reminding me of you?

Everything. Hallways. People. Certain phrases. Everything makes me flash back. I even started imagining that you're here with me, but only I can see you. You walk by my side and lead a running commentary of everything around us. But then I reach out to touch you, and you disappear.

I've also taken to singing a song that David was wailing while I lay down in the Dungeons on my last day at Hogwarts.

Living in a world so cold  
Wasting away  
Livin' in a shell with no soul  
Since you've gone away  
Livin' in a world so cold  
Counting the days  
Since you've gone away  
You've gone away from me

Two days.

I feel numb  
I can't come to life  
I feel like I'm frozen in time

Picidaly touched me today. Nothing too bad, but I did wash my shoulder with alcohol. Just in case. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I wasn't raped. You know, if you even care.

The students act like I don't exist. I like it that way. It lets me go through my fantasies undisrupted.

I think I'm losing my mind. Talking to nonexistent people is schizophrenia, isn't it? Well, nice, now I'm _mad_ly in love with you in every possible way.

My head hurts. I think I might faint, so this is it. The owl's getting impatient anyways.

-Aly

* * *

January 11th

I slept through the third day since you left me. Well, I was conscious, sometimes, but I couldn't move or think too hard. Picidaly was watching me a lot. I'm starting to hate him. Really, why am I still here? I should be trying to go back. Talk to you. In the least, I should be doing something. But all I do is lay in bed and let the visions of you next to me take control of me. It's easier this way.

-Aly

* * *

Evanescence- Haunted

Long-lost words whisper slowly to me  
Still can't find what keeps me here  
When all this time I've been so hollow inside  
...I know you're still there

Watching me  
Wanting me  
I can feel you pull me down  
Fearing you  
Loving you  
I won't let you pull me down

Hunting you  
I can smell you- alive  
Your heart pounding in my head

Watching me  
Wanting me  
I can feel you pull me down.  
Saving me  
Raping me  
Watching me

* * *

January 12th

He hurt me, Sev, he really did this time. I know it was on purpose, I _know_ it was. He gave me something to drink, and then I could no longer do anything but cry and do what he told me to. I don't even know what actually happened; my memory is getting worse and worse. Not just short-term. I'm starting to forget the sound of your voice. I only know that it was nasal and menacing. And the feel of your hands. I can't seem to recall the way that you held me close, or touched the back of my neck. Kevin and the girls are also fading. Sometimes I can't remember their faces. Maybe I'm just sick- Picidaly tells me I have a fever, and fever victims often can't think straight.

Come back

-Aly

* * *

January 14th

One week. One week, and I can't sleep without you appearing to me. So every night, I come awake, cold and alone and crying, and think that maybe it was just a nightmare, and you're downstairs making breakfast or talking with Mary on the back porch or off to the store. And that soon, you will come back and climb into bed with me and kiss me and hold me close and turn up the heating so I'm not cold anymore. But you don't come, only the imaginary you. The one that stands at the foot of the bed and stares at me and then turns away and disappears.

You know, poetry has a way of taking all of the feelings inside of you and balling them up into text. And, well, you get the feelings back, but it's as if at least a good part of them stayed in the ink and seeped down into the paper. So I write. Nothing nice and pretty, but it makes me feel...good.

I wonder, would you notice,  
If I walked right next to you?  
I wonder, would you hold me,  
The way you used to do?  
I wonder, would you mourn me,  
If I died without goodbye?  
I wonder, would you scream and cry,  
As death pooled in my eyes?  
I wonder, do you wonder,  
Like every night I do?  
I wonder, do you even care,  
As I write these words to you?

* * *

**-Val**


	33. Anthem Of The Angels

**No idea why, but I'm very proud of that poem C:**

* * *

Breaking Benjamin - Anthem Of The Angels

White walls surround us  
No light will touch your face again  
Rain taps the window  
As we sleep among the dead

Days go on forever  
But I've not left your side  
We can chase the dark together  
If you go then so will I

There is nothing left of you  
I can see it in your eyes  
Sing the anthem of the angels  
And say the last goodbye

Cold light above us  
Hope fills the heart, and fades away  
Skin white as winter  
As the sky returns to grey

Days go on forever  
But I have not left your side  
We can chase the dark together  
If you go then so will I

There is nothing left of you  
I can see it in your eyes  
Sing the anthem of the angels  
And say the last goodbye  
I keep holding onto you  
But I can't bring you back to life  
Sing the anthem of the angels  
Then say the last goodbye

Your're dead alive

* * *

Severus felt as if, maybe, he was going through Lily's death all over again. Only this time there was no way to make himself numb, because he knew that Aly would be back in a few months. And then, it would be even harder.

What worried him was the silence. The complete, utter lack of attempts at contacting him. He had expected... a last-second visit before she left, in the least. Or maybe a note left in the room that he so often visited, where their portraits frowned down at him and the smell of her shampoo still lingered, as if she could walk in any moment.

Not that he could stand to stay in there for too long, because those portraits, unlike the ones in his rooms, seemed intent on making him do something. Get her back. Apologize. So they went on to scream at him about all the things that they'd been through together, all the little details that made his lungs ache and his heart beat faster.

So he left. Closed the door and graded papers until the words swam off the page and his world faded into blissful oblivion.

Except it wasn't always oblivion that he found in his dreams. Sometimes, he dreamt of _her. _Her face blended and morphed until he wasn't sure if he was seeing Aly or Lily. He woke and came to class even grumpier then ever. Students were always murmuring something, just out of his hearing. Not that he cared. Much.

Kevin, frankly, hated him.

And always, every single time something reminded him of her, he wondered if he should check, just to make sure, that she was doing well without him.

He wanted it, the pain of being proven right. That she was better off without him. That she didn't need him. That he could allow all hope to die and forsake her for good.

But every day, he put it off for a little while longer. Until, forty days since he had made her leave, he got a visit from David.

The spirit was waiting for him at the bottom of the Dungeon stairs, his long hair crusted with decades-old blood on one side, his school uniform looking worn and tattered. The Professor froze.

"What do you want?"

"I want to die."

"Sadly, I cannot help you with that."

"That is not why I'm here."

Severus was getting impatient. "Well?"

"I've heard unpleasant news of Aly." he shifted, uncomfortable. "She is very sick. The Potions Professor at Beaubaxtons is... an odd man. He has been pushing her far beyond the limits of her body and soul."

Severus cursed under his breath. Her memory. The old fool was trying to get her memory back, and she, apparently, hadn't bothered to say that the cure had been already found. The triggers. "How bad is it?"

David winced. "Quite."

"I will leave at once."

"And do what? You left her, and everything has gone as I predicted."

"What are you implying? What did she do?"

"She withered. She faded. She would not stop dwelling. She wrote to you, but someone must have stopped the letters from coming through. She tried, and, in her eyes, you pushed her away. Again and again. In not replying, not coming to save her. She did something stupid. She stopped fighting. And, even as her condition got worse and worse, Picidaly continued to try. Until, one day, he managed to nearly kill her."

Severus was not going to listen. Not when every moment mattered.

He got out his wand and, in minutes, was standing in a too-bright hallway chock-full of blue-clad students.

Gasps. Whispers. He didn't care. Focusing on the first face he caught sight of- a girl Aly's age, with huge green eyes and a blonde braid, he growled "Take me to Picidaly. _Immediately."_

The girl shook him off and went running. Severus turned around. Another girl, also light-haired and green-eyed, stepped closer. She said something in French, and then did a double take. "Pardon. I can take you to Monsieur Picidaly, sir."

Severus nodded. "Hurry. Do you happen to know a girl named Aly Parton?"

The Beaubaxton eyed him, quizzical. "The new girl? _Ha,_ of course. Well, I've seen her. Are you her... father?"

"Not.. quite."

He knew he was being obvious, and he didn't care. The girl didn't say anything else, only stole glances up at him as she navigated the halls.

"Here. She should be in that room, over there." she pointed at a door across the hall from Picidaly's.

* * *

The smell was bad. The room was tiny. And dark, too dark to see anything but a huge bed and a tangle of covers that was as likely to be covering Aly as not.

Holding his breath, both in preparation for what he might see and to keep the smell of vomit and something sticky-sweet out, he walked to the bed.

Once his eyes had adjusted to the dark, he could see a foot sticking out over the edge of the bed. A hand weakly clutching the edge of a blanket, flour-white and far too thin. A knee. If this was Aly, then she had lost far too much weight.

Steeling himself, he took some of the fabric in his hands and pulled.

She lay on her stomach, and was nothing like he remembered. If before her skin had been pale, now she was positively gray. If her hair had been waves of blonde, now it was stringy and tangled. If she had been thin, now she was skeletal and much too fragile. Most importantly, if, before, when she slept, her chest rose and fell, now she was completely unmoving.

Severus choked, his face contorted with grief. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled the corpse to him. She was so cold, and soft, and the smell was unbearable.

_She wrote to you._

He imagined the contents of those letters.

_She did something stupid. She stopped fighting._

And so, now she was dead. And no amount of wishing would get her back. His shoulders shook, and his muscles cramped.

_Aly. _He screamed her name in his mind, so loud, almost managing to break the complete silence in the darkened room.

There was only one thing left to do.

Kissing her hand, Severus stood and backed out of the room, wide-eyed and wild. In the hallway, he turned and faced the door where Picidaly was sure to be. That man would not live for much longer. Even if it would land him in Azkaban, Snape was going to get revenge.

* * *

**-Val**


	34. Carnival Of Rust

**Someone tell me, why am I not getting any reviews? It it really that bad? Should I make the chapters longer? More to-the-point? Increase the pace? Decrease the drama? Ramp up the dialogue? Dilute the descriptions? Because even one or two reviews feel wonderful, like I'm not just putting time and effort into nothingness. I****_ hope_**** you enjoy)) And I've written this one as VERY long, it's twice the size of a normal chapter. Better this way?**

**(February 16th)**

* * *

Poets Of The Fall - Sleep, Sugar is a _beautiful_ song, completely wonderful and very romantic. I used to listen to it every evening before bed, and now that it's less awesome for me, just whenever I feel overwhelmed. My friends love it too, so, really, give it a try.

Poets Of The Fall- Carnival Of Rust

Come feed the rain  
'cause I'm thirsty for your love, dancing underneath the skies of lust  
Yeah, feed the rain  
'cause without your love my life ain't nothing but this carnival of rust

It's all a game, avoiding failure, when true colors will bleed  
All in the name of misbehavior and the things we don't need  
I lust for after, no disaster can touch, touch us anymore  
And more than ever, I hope to never fall, where enough is not the same it was before

Don't walk away, don't walk away, oh, when the world is burning  
Don't walk away, don't walk away, oh, when the heart is yearning

* * *

Severus stormed to the door. His hands were shaking, and the world around him was all too blurry.

Trying the knob, he continued to pound his fist against the light-colored wooden planks. The noise resounded through the halls and faded away, but still no one came to the door. He sighed. This was futile. Obviously, Picidaly was not present.

Defeated, he walked back to where Aly hadn't moved at all.

She looked so pitiful. Her black bra and panties. The hairs splayed across her face, stuck to her skin with long-dried tears. Taking out a handkerchief, he wiped at her cheeks, her forehead. Then, standing up, he straightened the covers. The blanket under her. The mess of fabric that had covered her, he folded up and placed outside the door.

Moving her to the side of the bed farthest away from the door, he straightened her legs and crossed her arms over her chest. Closed her eyes. Brushed through her hair with his fingers, wincing when clumps of it came out. Still, he did his best to make her look more... alive. Asleep. Despite the smell and the color of her skin and the fact that it was far too soft, taking a while to spring back up when he pressed his hand against her chest. He was still hoping to feel a heartbeat, despite all the obvious signs that she was gone and had been for some time.

Then he lay next to her in the dark, closing her eyes with thumb and forefinger and listening to the silence. Slowly, memories of her came to haunt him.

Whispers of the past that he could do nothing to shut out.

That first time he saw her, she wad been so odd, a patch of white against the green of the hill. He had thought she was a student, arrived early somehow and stopped to rest, maybe wait for the rest of them to come and then blend in with the crowd.

And then she had been assigned his apprentice, and he had been ready to do anything to refuse.

Their dancing lessons. Her eyes as he twirled her around her rooms, glowing with happiness, reflecting the light of the fireplace.

The way the light of dawn highlighted her bare shoulder, her waist, her hips as she slept next to him that first time.

So many wonderful moments, until all of it had gone wrong.

Spinner's End. Mary. St Thomas. Her parents, her friends, Vlad. The baby. The Astronomy Tower, the miscarriage. Madame Pomfrey's knowing face when neither Aly nor Severus showed up for dinner or breakfast, once she was allowed to leave the infirmary. Kevin.

The black mark on his arm that continued to become more and more apparent.

It had not been a good year for her, even if she had always claimed that the good outweighed the bad by far. When one looked at it from aside, you couldn't help but think that she would be better off this way than alive and well to have to face everything that was going to come.

Even if matters of her family and friends were solved. The Dark Lord was coming back, and she would have been immediate danger for it.

Closing his eyes, he let his thoughts flood in and carry him off.

* * *

Professor Picidaly knew that Miss Parton would not like it, once she came to. He had sworn that nothing bad would come of it. But now, the clone was dead and beyond returning. It faced him with a whole lot more problems than he had expected.

The pre-dissappearance Aly now had nothing to do but inhibit the mind of the post-dissapearance one. And no one, not even him, could tell if the merging would be good or harmful or fatal.

At least they had time. For the time being, the former was still in the body, waiting to be freed. Once she was...

He sighed. Things had gone out of control so quickly. He had hoped to use the clone as backup, so that if damaged in some way, it wouldn't have been the real Parton he was damaging. Killing was a whole other matter. It made the re-uniting a much more delicate process.

He hadn't meant to, of course. But one of the spells he attempted had disagreed with the body far too much, and her heart had stopped beating.

For now, the real Aly didn't know. She didn't care. The girl's state also worried him. She spent hours, days, staring out the window or obsessively fiddling with the angel-wings bracelet she always wore. When he asked, she simply ducked her head, biting back a sob.

Professor Snape would be furious at the state his apprentice would be returned to him.

* * *

Aly had continued writing, all this time. Not once did she get a reply. Gradually, after several weeks, she had stopped trying to live normally. The books she'd borrowed from the library slowly started to collect dust next to her bed. She only ate when told to. She stopped fighting Picidaly, thus, eventually, allowing him to split her into two different bodies, two completely different people. She avoided the clone.

He had told her that if they touched, she would have to accept the clone as a major part of herself. Completely without the fog that used to separate them, her memories would bombard her consciousness, possibly killing her if they were too much to bear. So she stayed away.

The only things she occupied her days with were thoughts. When she thought of Kevin, or Vlad or Jessica or Alice or Hannah or her muggle life, she stared out the window.

She imagined that if she stared hard enough, with many sleepless nights behind her, the view of a lake shore in front would zoom, far away into the sunrise, and show her what they were doing, what they said and where they went.

When she thought of _him, _she played with the bracelet. It was the only physical thing to make her believe that he had been real. Even the portraits had been left in Hogwarts, although she sorely wished she had them to converse with. A painted Severus would have been so much better than none at all.

* * *

He had no idea how long he had been there, only that it was more than a few hours. Surely, the lessons back in Hogwarts were over. Maybe it was even past dinnertime.

But now that he had slept for as long as he possibly could, something had to be done before he really started to think about the reality of the corpse next to him.

So he got up, in a self-induced trance, and made his way to the door. Said a goodbye to Aly. Opened the door, and slipped out into the hall.

The sun was setting, the white marble walls patchy orange. He blinked, looking around. Occasional students littered the hall, sitting on the windowsills, talking quietly. Somebody laughed.

Some of them stared at him. A whisper, here and there. A sigh. A giggle.

A gasp.

He frowned, looking to the left.

A girl stood there, sharply highlighted by the dying sun. Her hair was down a little past her shoulders, wavy and turned to gold where it was touched by the light. She looked... sickly. Her flowered jeans and blue tank top were too loose, as if some time ago, they had fit her well. Her skin was all too much like what Aly's had become, white and transparent.

Only when he focused on her face did he realize that she _was_ Aly.

Which made no sense at all.

She took a few steps toward him, the other students that were around them staring, curious.

"Sev?"

He wondered if he had gone mad and was hallucinating.

"It's really you." she was much closer now. He realized he was walking towards her as well.

"Severus Snape, tell me it's really you."

"It's me." he croaked, and the she was in his arms, and he could smell her hair, and her bony shoulders were shaking as she sobbed into his chest.

Aly wailed. She wanted to lift him up off the ground and twirl him around and laugh and shake him and tell him exactly what she thought of him, but all she really had the energy to do was cry. Even as she attempted to speak, her mouth was too clogged with sobs for her to get anything out.

"Aly." he whispered, again and again, swaying back and forth with his arms around her, tight. "Aly."

He yearned to press his lips against hers, but not here. "Let's find a more private place to talk."

Aly laughed, a strangled, wet sound, and led him a little ways down the hall to her room.

With the door closed and locked, he finally kissed her. It had been so, so long. She cried in pure relief.

Even if he had left her to fight this war alone... well, he was here now, and the details could be sorted out later. She only needed to hear one thing.

"Tell me that you won't leave me again, not for any reasons, unless I specifically tell you to."

He didn't hesitate. "I swear."

* * *

Aly gagged as Picidaly opened the door to where her clone was. The smell...

Picidaly wrinkled his nose, mustache twitching, while Severus merely frowned harder. His mind was racing. This was going to be dangerous, but it had to be done- Aly could not possibly be capable of withstanding much more time away from such a big part of her soul, and better do it now, while the effort of separation had only just started taking it's toll.

"Don't look. Just close your eyes and give me your hand."

Aly obliged. Judging by the scent, if she saw what had become of the other Aly, she would be haunted for months.

Taking careful steps with Severus, she leaned down, holding her breath, and felt the touch of cold, bare flesh that gave way far too easily, sinking down under the slight pressure that Snape put on it. Aly squirmed, feeling something stirring inside the body. And then the connection was made. She passed out.

* * *

Eight days later, she watched as the crowds gathered for the second task. It was still nine in the morning, a half hour to the beginning, but already students have made their way to the raised platforms on the lakeshore.

She had made a point of avoiding Vlad, spending her afternoons with Kevin and her friends, and the evenings with Severus, mostly silent as they worked but still quite comforted by each other's presence.

She hadn't seen David- she wanted to thank him, though. God knew where she'd be now if he hadn't intervened.

The only thing that she was very concerned with were the letters. Somebody had tried very hard to make sure Severus knew nothing.

When she was reunited with the pre-disappearance Aly, Severus had been very quick to cast a spell that put back up the mental wall of fog, so she was still looking for triggers instead of having to face all of the past at once and possibly be turned into a drooling vegetable.

So almost everything, other than Kevin and the occasional moment with Vlad, was still beyond her reach.

And she was very, very glad. She had a feeling that remembering would be hard, so, for now, she was glad for the chance to put it off. Till the summer, when she would be back in London, much too close to her old life to not encounter anything that triggered more memories.

* * *

Severus knew he couldn't hide it for much longer. Soon, she would catch a glimpse of his arm and make rash assumptions. So he made up his mind to tell her that very day, once the second task was over and they had a moment to themselves.

Aly watched with mild interest as the four Champions dived in. Well, three dived. Harry fell - or did somebody push him? - with an undignified splash.

Most of the contest was boring, since none of it could be seen. Aly stood quietly with Severus among the teachers, her elbow occasionally brushing against his.

Finally, it was over, with a bit of a commotion when Harry turned up last but with two people saved instead of one. And then the students were sent back to the school, with her and Severus staying behind to make sure everyone returned.

As the last group of students moved off, Aly realized that they were left alone on the platforms. She smiled up at him.

He took a step back. "We need to talk."

Aly frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I... I think it is time I told you something."

"What? You're secretly fifty and female?"

That wasn't even funny, but it was the best she could do at the moment. The look in his eyes was too uneasy for it to be something insignificant.

"No, I am thirty five and male. What I have to tell you... concerns the Dark Lord."

Voldemort. Aly knew the story - one would have to be deaf and blind and a hermit in the Dark Forest to not hear of it. She also knew that only Death Eaters referred to him as the Dark Lord. She narrowed her eyes. "Show me your arm."

Snape sighed, pulling up his sleeve. It was so obvious, pitch-black and writing under his skin. Yes, she didn't see him shirtless in good lighting often, but it seemed to her she should have noticed it.

"You're a Death Eater." she murmured. That... hurt.

"Yes, but only in body. I used to be one in mind as well, but now... I serve Dumbledore."

She got it. Immediately, she was amazed by those few seconds when her world turned over with the realization that he was the bad guy in this story. "That's... I'm glad you've told me. Thank you."

She stepped closer, staring up at him. "I will not tell anyone, Mr Sunshine. You can trust me."

The muscles of his face relaxed. "I'm glad for it."

She grinned. "Hey, so you don't mind the nickname?"

He scowled. "Severus is preferred. By far."

"Poop."

"Live with it, Parton."

Aly growled, then laughed. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her lips against his. "Let's stay out for a while. The weather's good."

* * *

**Yes, I _was_ planning for the Death Eater Bomb to be one heck of an argument, but already it's taken too long for her to find out and I was feeling a little sorry for the two of them.**

**-Val**


	35. Home Is Where The Heart Is

**Chapter 35, and over 60 thousand words. Not bad, eh?**

**June 24th- the Third Task.**

* * *

The next few months passed in relative peacefulness. The students were busy studying for the exams, and then writing them, and then too nervous about the result to do a lot in terms of mischief. Hannah and Ivan were still going strong, promising to write and visit each other during the summer. Jessica and Pierre still had _something_ happening, since Aly, Hannah and Alice had seen them taking walks on the lakeshore after lessons.

Kevin had made friends. Oddly, not many of the Slytherins bothered him about being muggle-born. Which made Aly wonder. Two wizard children in a muggle family? Maybe there was something her parents weren't telling them.

She didn't bring it up, though. Not with anyone, because bringing it up might eventually lead to having to talk to her parents about it. Which would bring more memories.

She and Severus continued to sleep in the same bed, alternating between her rooms and his. He had allowed her to take over teaching the first-years completely, which she loved. Quickly, she was becoming a favorite teacher with a lot of them.

And Snape had said that next year she would be teaching a whole lot more- this year's first-years, who would then be seconds, the new first-years, and also half-and-half with him for the third and fourths. She found herself looking forward to the change, even if it meant she would be Hannah's teacher. Hannah would be in fourth, and Jessica and Alice in fifth.

For now, though, she had the summer to worry about. She and Severus would be leaving for London in nine days, and then her family would be expecting a visit.

* * *

That day at dusk, she sat in the bleachers and studied the enormous maze in front of them. Once again, most of the tournament would go unseen.

Severus was fidgeting, looking jumpy and scratching at his arm. "He's close, isn't he? Something's going on."

He nodded, staring out at the hedge. "Nothing to do but wait."

Aly didn't want to bother him, not when something big was obviously on his mind. She sat back and watched as the four children entered the maze.

The quiet was unsettling. Other then the chattering of the onlookers and the occasional creaks and groans fro within the hedge, there was no sound at all, as if a blanket of thick fog was canceling out any outside noises- the wind in the trees a ways off, the rustle of grass, the last songs of the birds as night got closer. Nothing.

Suddenly, there was a long, piercing scream. The crowd went silent, then broke out in whispers. It could only have been Fleur.

After some time, there was a flash of... something, and a sudden wind blew towards them from the heart of the maze. Aly shivered.

"He is close." Severus murmured, too quiet for her to be sure she had heard him right.

"We have to do something."

"No... Potter is beyond our help now."

Aly blinked. And then Potter was right _there, _with Cedric in his arms, crying and screaming as a crowd of adults gathered around him.

All she could really see was a mass of bodies. Screams. Shouts. A camera flash or two. Then two figures separated themselves- Harry and Moody. Severus jumped to his feet, and then he, Dumbledore and Minerva trailed after the Potter boy and the Professor. Severus looked back. _Stay there. Be safe._ She could almost hear him.

Looking around, she saw the shocked looks of the students.

Aly stood up, making her way to the first-years. As she did her best to calm them- students that she had gotten to know well in the last few months of teaching - the commotion at her back grew silent save for a few resounding wails. Cedric's father. Aly shuddered, flashing back to the sticky-sweet, vomit-like smell of her other self. And, ew, the softness of her flesh. Was that what Cedric would turn into, soon?

Shaking her head to get rid of the thought, she took deep breaths, relaxing somewhat when the fresh evening air flooded in.

He was dead. Dead, at Hogwarts. It seemed impossible, even though she had heard the numerous stories of the the ghosts that haunted it. And there were many, many more grisly tales about students and Professors that had died but didn't return as spirits. So death did exist here, in this place she had always thought of as too good for it, too wonderful and fairytaleish to ever have bad, very bad things happen.

It wasn't all that safe after all.

Shoving the thoughts of Diggory and places that weren't safe to the back of her mind, she continued to talk to the students. Kevin, like the rest of them, looked rather sick.

"Come on." she called. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

After dinner, Severus left without saying anything to her.

She wanted to follow, she was _going_ to. But Professor McGonnagal leaned over to her. "Don't, Miss Parton. Professor Dumbledore has assigned him a task."

Aly nodded, getting up, and headed to where Hannah, Alice and Jessica were sitting in silence, their plates mostly full with food.

"He looked asleep." Alice murmured, staring at Aly.

"He looked dead. Live with it." Hannah snapped. Alice winced.

Hannah sighed. "Sorry, I'm just.. It's so..."

Jessica shook her head, looking over at Pierre, who sat farther down the table with his friends, questioning Fleur. "Why don't you look shocked, Aly?"

Aly started. She just felt so aloof from everything that was going on. "I don't know."

She, again, thought of the dead clone.

* * *

Severus didn't come back that night, or the next, or the day after that. Aly was starting to worry. What could Dumbledore possibly have him doing? Sunday, Monday and Tuesday came and passed. When she asked, all she got was a beautified "None of your business."

Already, it was the day before their departure from the school- the day of the End of the Year Feast. Still, he was gone. Aly packed. She talked to the portraits, but the Snape in them refused to tell her what Dumbledore's mission was.

Aly could guess.

Voldemort had returned in a physical form now, and her Professor, being a Death Eater, would have to play the role of a good little slave. Even if he actually served Dumbledore.

She wondered... how far was he willing to go to make his disguise last? Would he torture innocents for it? Kill them for it? _Die_ for it?

No. Sometime, hopefully soon, he would have to uncover his true loyalties and stop this madness, this unnecessary dance on the sharp edge of a razor blade. Wouldn't he?

In a fit of worry, Aly made her way to Dumbledore's office.

Up, up, up the hidden staircase. She wondered if the old man had a hidden elevator or something- he seemed so brittle, at times, as if if he toppled over, he wouldn't be able to get up again. Finally, she reached the door.

"Alianne. I've been expecting you."

Aly walked through the doorway, her eyes instantly too overwhelmed to take in all the thing she saw in the room. The moving portraits, the phoenix, the many strange objects she didn't even know the names of. Finally, she focused on Albus.

"I suppose you wish to know the whereabouts of our dear Severus."

"Something like that."

"Oh, is there more?"

"I know about his... him..." she bit her lip and gestured at her forearm.

"I'd wondered when he was going to tell you. Suppose he's come to... care... for you quite a lot, for it to be revealed so early."

"You could say that. When are you finally going to stop him?"

"His ties to Lord Voldemort will be crucial in the upcoming struggle... although it pains me to place one of my own in such immediate danger, I'm afraid it can't be helped."

Aly was full of this, frustrated and angry and overwhelmed. She wanted to cry. "Can't be helped." she repeated.

"Sadly."

"Sadly?"

Dumbledore looked at her over the rims of his half-moon glasses. "You really care for him, don't you?"

"Of course I care for him, and, knowing him, I'm pretty sure he is not being as careful as he should. If he gets himself killed..." she swallowed.

"You say it like you would have him stay locked in the classroom and have no role in the war."

"I would!"

"Has it not occurred to you that perhaps he wants this? Wants to participate? To help? To redeem himself? He has had a tough life, Alianne."

She stared at him, waiting for more. She knew nothing, not one little thing, about Severus's past.

"He was once truly loyal to the Dark Lord, his most trusted servant, high among the Death Eaters. Until, one day, some information the he passed willingly over to Tom got Lily killed."

"Lily?"

"Severus's love. She rejected him, married another man, had a child. But still, he continued to love her. It has been more than a decade, and, I'm sure, he continues to love her to this day. It was his information that gave Voldemort reason to hunt her and James. He has never forgiven himself, or the Dark Lord. Although, since then, his loyalties have shifted rather dramatically."

Aly felt as if she had already known this, somewhere inside.

"You may have noticed his strange hate of the Potter boy."

Her eyes widened. _She rejected him, married another man, had a child. _"Harry? Lily and James Potter?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Although he can't help but dislike Harry, he has sworn to protect him. Lily died to save him, so Severus is wiling to do anything to make her death meaningful. So much of this revolves around the boy..."

Aly sat still for a moment, then got up. "Thank you, sir. Professor. For telling me. I'll go now."

Practically running out of the room and down the stairs, at first she didn't recognize the dark-clad shape ascending the curving staircase. She ran right into him.

Jumping back in surprise, she stared. "You look horrible."

"Why, thank you, Miss Parton." he drawled, unamused.

"No, really. Your hair's bloody and your face is droopy."

He raised one eyebrow.

"Um... I'll see you later, Professor."

He nodded, standing aside to let her pass. She ran on, thinking- _all this is for _her.

Never had she felt so jealous. Not even Mary could really compare.

_But still, he continued to love her. It has been more than a decade, and, I'm sure, he continues to love her to this day.  
_  
She wondered if Dumbledore knew what this information meant for her.

She remembered the mirror she'd found in his room, with lilies painted on the back. _"This belonged to a woman... Someone I was hoping, lately, to forget."_

So, he'd been hoping to forget. How delightful.

Aly sighed, finally slowing down. Surely he couldn't do anything about his... love... for Lily. And it wasn't her place to confront him about it.

Still, it hurt. As the bells rang for dinner and the Great Hall filled up one last time for the school year, she found herself dreading their return to London even more.

* * *

After having explained to Kevin that she had to go with the Professor before visiting their family and exchanging mailing addresses with Hannah, Alice, Jessica, Ivan and Pierre (just in case, he said), she returned to her rooms. Snape was already there with his trunk, waiting for her by the fireplace.

The quarters looked so empty without all of her things- almost the same as when she had first come in here ten months ago.

"I'll miss the school." she said to him, looking around. "So much happened here."

"Don't be foolish. We will be back in two months."

Aly pursed her mouth, not so sure.

"We will be back in two months." he said again, more forcefully. "Unless you wish to return to your old-"

"No!" she cried. "How could you think that? I won't stay away from here, from you, even if they chained me up and locked me in a closet for the year."

"That's good."

"I'm just worried about you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. It's so dangerous, what you're doing..."

"You must not speak of it. If the Lord does not find out, then I am perfectly safe. And only three people know. You underestimate me."

Aly smiled, just faintly. "Let's go. Home is where the heart is, so I should be fine."

"And where, exactly, is that?"

"With you, dummy." she laughed as he scowled.

She tossed the powder into the fireplace and stepped through the flames, still smirking.

In his living room at Spinner's End, nothing had changed. Nothing, except for a huge stack of letters by the window, yellowed where the sun had reached them through the glass over the course of a few months. Aly's eyes widened.

"That stupid owl took them to your home. Great!" she shouted, as much amazed by the stupidity of the whole situation as she was angry or bewildered.

"I'm guessing those are the letters you sent to me during your stay at Beaubaxtons?" he asked from behind her.

"Yes, and they've been here all along. I'm going to find that owl and make myself a nice, soft pillow."

"May I...?"

"Better not. It's unnecessary drama. Let's start a fire, and then I want to make you dinner. Fancy dinner."

"Do you know how?"

"You underestimate me, Sev. I spent the first few weeks with Picidaly learning French cuisine."

"Unpack first."

"Um... which room?"

"Our room."

Aly grinned. She'd wondered if maybe something had changed after all, and he would have her sleep separately. Forgetting all about the letters, she followed him up to the bedroom. Their bedroom.

As they unpacked, she noticed Mary through the balcony floor-to-ceiling windows. She was staring at them, one hand poised in a wave. Aly smirked, fighting some of the feelings that swam up. Her old jealousy seemed so useless now. She and Professor Snape had been through far too much together for a muggle, no matter how gorgeous and perfect, to get in between them.

She waved back.

Severus, apparently finished, went downstairs as she continued to place the clothes brought during winter into the part of the closet she had selected for herself. It looked so comical- bright patterns and pastel-colored dresses and white shorts next to Snape's endless quantity of black robes. Symbolic, even.

Changing into the dress she'd worn for the Yule Ball for an air of celebration, Aly made her way downstairs.

"So much poetry. I wasn't aware you had a knack for it."

Aly's mental doorway opened again to let in a few more memories. She smiled.

Sitting in an armchair, several times a week, reading Shakespeare. Rilke. Kilmer. Pushkin. So, so many nights she had spent buried in books of poetry- dozens of authors, tons of books, hundreds of hours.

The library, where she scoured the shelves for anything new. The nice librarian with her fizzy blue hair and half-moon glasses, like Dumbledore.

"Yeah. I read."

"You write."

"And that too."

"It's good."

"I was sick."

"Still good."

"Thank you. Wait- you're reading them!"

"Yes."

"Stop! Like I said, I was delirious, even the first few ones are stupid."

"No. I want to read them."

"I don't want you to."

Instead of continuing the argument, he started reading again. Aly sighed- he wasn't about to give up - and went into the kitchen, already planning the dinner. The least she could do to really repay Severus for everything- he had taken care of her, taught her, put time and effort into attempting to get her memory back, and given her a new home and a completely new life.

When she had some onions on the stove and _tiramisu_ in the oven, she went out on the back porch, staring at the little green space in front of her. Maybe she could plant some flowers there.

A pair of sandals flopped into view. Aly looked up.

"Hi, Aly. Haven't seen you in a while." Mary said, smiling at her. So fake.

"We were at school."

"Oh, really. You know, I think I heard something on the news about you being missing? Maybe it was just a-"

"It was just a misunderstanding. My parents know very well that I am here."

"Parents? Didn't you say you're an orphan?"

Aly cursed under her breath. At the time, when she had been sure that she wouldn't see her family anytime soon, didn't even know if she had one, the lie had seemed so good. "It's a long story. Professor Snape is still my... legal guardian."

"Oh. Well, I've made some cupcakes. As a welcome back treat."

Because she was in a good mood, and because manners called for it, Aly invited Mary to have dinner with them.

"Yes, I would be delighted! By the way, I looove your dress, it's so beautiful. Wherever did you buy it?"

_Uh._ "My friend's relative is a seamstress. She made it for me."

"Well, maybe I should get a personally fitted dress too. It sure seems worth the time and money."

"Yeah, it's great." she said weakly. "Come on in."

Inside, their meal was ready. Setting everything out on the kitchen table, she noticed that Severus, in the time she'd been outside, had hung one of their portraits. She smiled.

Mary looked around, her eyes lingering on the frozen figures that would otherwise move on the canvas. "I think I've told you before that it's a very beautiful piece."

Did she actually look, and sound, jealous?

"And it's that dress! The one you're wearing!"

"Yes, we had a ball at our school. A very old tradition. That's what I got the dress for in the first place."

"You know, I'm starting to think I want to go to that school. They wouldn't have any teaching positions open, would they? I have a degree in languages."

"Nope. Really close-knit staff, it's rare for someone who's been there a while to leave. Although I think we _are_ in need of a janitor."

Mary grimaced. "No, thanks."

"Thought so." Aly grinned. "Professor!" she called up the stairs.

In a few moments, Severus came down, still wearing his robes and cape.

"Hello, Miss Revis."

* * *

Mary couldn't take her eyes off him. Even as she and Aly made small talk, about flowers she could plant in the back yard and the weather, she kept looking at his reactions, memorizing his face. But then he would glance at the girl, and she would remember that he was not just a guardian to her.

How was it even possible? He didn't seem like the type to have trouble with finding a woman his own age. In fact, had he been single, she would have been surprised.

But no. Something told her he wasn't just sleeping with her- there was sure to be more. Because Aly was cute, yes, but not beautiful.

Not as beautiful as she was.

And what she had seen of her personality was quite... nightmarish.

They said love was blind, but Mary had never believed in love. Dreamed of it, yes, fantasized, spent many hours in a land of fakery. But it was no more than that- a lie made up so that people had something to fight for, hope for, something to give reason to their existence. When, really, love was just a bulge in one's pants.

It didn't make sense. Even if the two believed each other to be in love, she was sure a good amount of lust would quickly tip them off.

Which made her plan of action rather obvious- seduce the man, and he would believe to be in love. He would leave the girl. And he, Severus Snape, would be hers.

Mrs. Mary Snape. It sounded nice.

* * *

**-Val**


	36. Back In Spinner's End

**Chapter 36**

* * *

Once Mary left, most of the feast was gone, and the night had begun.

"What do you think of her?" she asked Severus.

"A muggle. What more is there to think?"

Aly smirked. "No, really. Muggle or not, you have to be thinking something."

"I'm wondering about those letters. You were planning to burn them?"

Letting the subject of Mary go, Aly stood up. "Yeah. Let's get started on that."

Shaking his head, he put his plate into the sink to be washed by magic later. Then he followed Aly into the living room, where she had already lit a fire and was feeding it wood from the pile.

Once the fire was good and strong, Aly sat cross-legged in front of the flames, Severus watching her every move from his armchair.

The room was toasty warm, even slightly hot, and the only part of the house lit by the soft orange glow. It flickered across her face, the dark wood floors, the matching bookshelves, the grey walls.

Aly smiled, cradling the letters against her chest. "It feels safe here. The kind of place where good things happen."

"Not the type of atmosphere I would expect for my home to have."

"You're wrong. I'll show you. Come here."

He raised one eyebrow, dubious.

"Come on. I won't bite. Probably."

"Humph."

He kneeled next to her, staring into the flames.

"Now, look. This is Beaubaxtons. All of the bad things that happened there, and before, and a little while after."

He looked at her, the fire reflected in his eyes. Aly caught her breath, leaning in for a kiss.

Once it was over, she continued. "Here goes my departure." she tossed in the first letter.

Flames danced along the parchment, words smoking and curling and darkening to ash.

She tossed in the next few letters. "Here goes Picidaly."

On and on. For each batch of letters set to flame, she named an aspect of her stay at the French academy. Hunger strike. Stopped reading. Stopped talking. Stopped caring. Sick. Cloned. Alone. Locked in room. Re-merging with her past self.

BEfore she knew it, her hands were empty, if not for long. Because then Severus reached out to take her hands in his.

"If you were wondering..." he murmured, looking her in the eyes as she moved closer. "I never stopped caring about you. I love you, Alianne Parton."

Aly grinned. "I love you too, Severus Snape."

He leaned forward, cupping her face with his hand, steadying their kisses.

During all those minutes, hours that they spent that night in front of the fire, Aly didn't once think of Lily Potter or Dumbledore or Harry or Mary Revis or Abigail and Daniel and Cass and Kevin. She just kissed him, and kept kissing him as he hoisted her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs.

It was the first time since the start of term that their night together had consisted of more than just sleep.

* * *

Aly lay in bed, watching him sleep as the sun started to rise behind her -for once, it wasn't cloudy- and brought real light to the gloomy little room.

It was kind of strange, if thought of from a different perspective. Her family wasn't that far away, only about an hour's drive by bus. And yet here she was, sleeping with her (much older) Professor, so much more left behind them than the muggles could even start to imagine.

After all, she had told them and Kevin the same story.

A story of a wonderful world of magic where no one could possibly die or get sick or heartbroken. A very safe world, even with Voldemort returned.

Sadly, it was just too good to be true.

As quietly as possible, she got up and slipped into the robe that had stayed here, folded up in the closet. Padding down the stairs, she looked around, bright-eyed. With actual, unclouded sunlight beaming in through the windows, the house looked entirely different. Especially if you compared it to last night, when the only light had been from the living room fireplace, a tiny garrison of brightness to fight against the inky black of the night.

Barefoot on the cold yellow tiles, Aly surveyed the cupboards. No way was she making cereal on a morning like this.

They had nothing. If, maybe, last night she had spied some meat, milk, salad and eggs, spelled to last, nothing was left of their dinner. She would have to go shopping.

Quickly, she brushed her teeth and did her makeup. Slipping into the dress she found by the balcony in their bedroom and putting on her shoes, Aly scrawled a quick "Gone fishing, back soon" on a piece of stationary and made her way out of the house. A grocery store had to be nearby.

The few coins and bills she'd pocketed from the mantle grew moist in her hands. People that she passed by were all so _normal,_ wearing flip-flops and grubby T-shirts and cut-off jeans. She stood out, and it wasn't just her clothes. She could see it in the looks of the passerby- in the way they stared, then shifted their gaze when her eyes met theirs. Or maybe that was the norm. Maybe everyone stared, at muggles as well as her.

Finally, the street that Severus's house was on was crossed by a more public looking one. Tiny shops were slowly waking up, the owners opening the doors and drawing back the shades. The whole street was coming to life.

Suddenly, Spinner's End no longer seemed gloomy. It was just a small little neighborhood, if slightly devoid of color in the side-streets- at least it wasn't that way all the way through to the core.

Spying an out-of-the-way Treasure Island, she suddenly felt the mental doorway open again. She shivered.

Cass opened the door of her car, grinning over at Aly in the passenger seat as she climbed out. Aly tapped her fingers against the window, and then Cass's face was up against the glass, laughing, white-blonde hair falling in her eyes and frizzing out in the wind. Perfect white teeth, perfect smile. Then they were out of the car, walking into the store. Cool air from the refrigerators. Aly hugged a gloriously cold bottle of Sprite to her chest and ran after her sister, who was already at one of the the registers, unloading a load of cookies and crackers and potato chips.

"Mom would freak." Aly giggled.

"It'll be our little secret."

Cass winked.

The man in front of them in line looked down at them, seeming displeased. Long black hair. Pallid skin. Black robes and a cape, even in this heat. He picked up his half-empty bag of food and walked out, cape billowing out behind him.

"Cool costume." Cass murmured distractedly, busily stuffing their change into her wallet.

Aly didn't reply. She was still wondering about the man, and not really his clothes. She wondered why he looked so unhappy, angry and grouchy on such a good day in London.

The flashback ended, and Aly took a while to realize that she was standing inside the store, about to take a bottle of Sprite from the fridge.

She gasped, stuffing the bottle back in. _Wha?_

Shaking her head, she walked over to where a sign proclaimed "Perishables", getting all the things she would need for an omelet with bacon and toast.

It seemed to her one should be aware of walking into a store and navigating towards the soda.

And what if she had been hit by a car? Or, less horribly, crashed into someone on her way in, or if the drinks had been relocated? She could have been hurt. Or busily explaining what she was doing, sleepwalking into a store. Or why the heck she was busily grabbing air and taking it to the cashiers.

Even once she set the what if's aside, there was a lot to think about. First, the obviously close-knit relationship she had with her sister. She remembered that time, on winter break. The Shake.

And it had been so perfect. A perfect older sister, a perfect summer day, a perfect breaking of rules as they stocked up on junk food.

And... they had seen Severus. He had looked different too, several years younger. No wonder he didn't remember her. But then she had to wonder about all the other possible times when they might have passed each other on the streets, or even talked.

What really bothered her was the way her old self had continued to dwell on the strange man while he simply frowned and walked away.

She smirked, realizing that, no matter what, he would have always been the one that people wondered about. Not the two teenaged girls buying popcorn. It was pure logic.

Paying the white-haired woman at the counter, she walked back home, her good mood still in place.

* * *

When breakfast was nearly ready, Severus came down the stairs.

"Gone fishing?"

"For eggs."

"I see you were successful?"

"Quite a plentiful catch. I used the hooks you left on the mantle, sorry."

He didn't reply, just stood behind her, hands on her waist. Aly looked up at him over her shoulder, and he surprised her with a kiss. No morning breath or anything.

"I had another flashback at Treasure Island. I was there with Cass, a few years ago. We bought junk food. And we stood behind you in line, how unlikely is that?"

"Really." he seemed mildly interested. "And Cass is..."

"Come on, I know you know her. My sister."

"Yes, right."

"What's wrong, Mr Sunshine? It's a beautiful day. Ever heard of stopping to smell the flowers?"

"The day is fine. You should go stay with your family."

Aly sputtered. "Someone promised to not send me away."

"What? I'm not sending you away. I would be rather satisfied to keep you here all summer, where I can be sure you won't do anything stupid."

"Buuut?"

"But you have to face them, eventually. One at a time is better, so as for it to not be so overwhelming. You could try starting with the sister."

"But I'm not going to, like, live with them. It would be so weird."

"I think it would be all the more weird for you to live with me. Suspicious, even."

She knew what he meant. "But I don't want to!"

The look in his eyes said it all. She didn't want to because they were still strangers to her. Once she remembered...

"At least try to talk to them."

"Why are you suddenly so interested in the relationship I have with my family?"

"I want to make it easier for you."

"Make _what_ easier for me, if you don't plan on leaving me?"

He stared at her, daring her to say it.

"Oh. Oh, no. No. Noo! Never! You are not going anywhere without me for that long!"

"Not what I meant."

Aly didn't want this, but she knew what he was talking about. "Voldemort."

He nodded.

The good weather now seemed mocking. "But you said you're safe."

"I'm safe from Voldemort. But the other Death Eaters, or one of my... tasks..."

"They could kill you."

* * *

**Little-teeny-tiny bit of drama, if only because it seems once you take the drama away, there is NOTHING left to write but fluff and stuff. I was stuck at 1000 words with nowhere to go. **

**-Val**


End file.
